After the Moon
by Hopeakaarme
Summary: After the full moon, somebody's taking care of Remus. Who it is, varies in every chapter. Not one particular timeline, just separated oneshots within the same frame. SLASH RLSB, RLSS, RLHP, RLLM, RLTR, RLJP, RLDM, RLF'n'G, RLBW. Discontinued.
1. Sirius

Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: OoTP  
  
Summary: After the full moon, somebody's taking care of him.  
  
To be exact, Sirius. Remus wants something to drink, Tonks doesn't think, and Mad-Eye is rude. And in the end they fall asleep together.  
  
Mild SLASH (RL/SB.) Happening around OotP.  
  
DISCLAIMER: You don't really think they're mine, do you?  
  
Author notes: Yet another of my school-break ideas:  
  
There surely was always somebody who took care of Remus and comforted him after the full moons. I've been trying to fill by breaks by imagining how each one of my PossiblePartnerForRemus!Guys would do it. In this chap, it's Sirius.  
  
So, every chapter is a new Alternate Universe. Remus is not a cheating slut, nor he has first one, then another, then yet new man... These all happen, but not in the same reality. Understood?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After the Moon   
  
*   
  
Sirius   
  
***   
  
"Owww..." Remus groaned, and breathed in with difficulty. "Sirius... It hurts."   
  
"Hush, love," Sirius said softly, pulling the covers gently over the shaking body. "Just rest now, okay? I'll take care of you. You want something to drink?"   
  
"Some hot chocolate, please," Remus replied, and smiled weakly.   
  
"Okay," Sirius smiled and got up on his feet. "Do you want it warm, hot, or boiling hot?"   
  
"Just warm, thank you. I would only burn my throat if it was too hot."   
  
"Got it." He left the room with only minimum hesitating.   
  
Sirius was worried on his way to the kitchen. Remus always made him worried after the full moon.   
  
"Hello, Sirius," Molly Weasley said as he stepped in to the kitchen. "How's Remus?"   
  
She sounded concerned, but Sirius could sense the cautious tone in her voice, and frowned. It just wasn't fair. After hearing of his innocence, ti had taken the Weasleys about a week to accept and befriend him. Remus, however, still made them cautious, especially when his lycanthropy was mentioned. This bothered Sirius a great deal, so he never managed to be really friendly around the elder Weasleys.   
  
"Remus is coping," he replied truthfully. "He asked me to make some hot chocolate for him."   
  
"I can do that!" Tonks exclaimed, jumping up so fast that she knocked her chair over. "Oops," she said cheerfully. She lifted up the chair. "How warm Remus wants his drink?" she asked then.   
  
"Just vaguely warm," he replied. "But I don't think -"   
  
"Let her do it," Mad-Eye Moody interrupted. "Molly's been teaching her, and believe it or not, she actually can manage a cup of hot chocolate all by herself."   
  
"If you say so..." Sirius glanced doubtfully at his cousin, but sat down as Mad-Eye beckoned him.   
  
"How he's recovering?" the former Auror asked bluntly.   
  
Sirius shrugged. "The usual," he replied and sighed. "He'll be on his feet by tomorrow, but he can't leave until the day after tomorrow."   
  
"I see." Mad-Eye's magical eye rolled around to look behind him. "Seemingly I was wrong. Check what the girl is doing."   
  
Sirius startled and turned around to look at his cousin. "What the... No, Tonks, no!" He jumped up and rushed towards the Metamorphmagi.   
  
"Sirius! Why -" the girl started, but Sirius interrupted her by taking the cup from her hands and emptying its contents to the sink. Then he placed the empty cup on the table, letting out a relieved sigh. His hands were slightly shaking.   
  
"Sirius!" Tonks protested loudly. "It would've just been ready!"   
  
"Nymphadora," Sirius growled, putting extra weight on the girl's given name, "you'd better be grateful for the fact that I haven't killed you yet, Azkaban or not. What the hell you thought you were doing?"   
  
"Err... Making Remus's drink?" the witch suggested.   
  
"Exactly. And what were you just mixing it with? A silver spoon! Are you nuts or what?"   
  
"Oh." The girl paled instantly as she realized what she had been just about to do. "But... Surely just that can't hurt him? That silver has touched his drink?"   
  
"Normally? No. The day after the full moon? You bet. Not enough to kill him, fortunately, but enough to lengthen the time required for his recovery with at least two days. And to make him really, and I mean *really* ill." He took a clean cup, filled it with water and walked to Mad-Eye. "Hey, Mad-Eye? Could you transfigure this to hot chocolate? After that, I don't really trust *Nymphadora* to do it properly."   
  
"Of course," the older wizard chuckled, tapping the cup with his wand. The water immediately turned into brown, warm liquid.   
  
"Thanks." Sirius turned around and was just about to leave the room, when Mad-Eye's voice stopped him.   
  
"Hey, boy? I know that Remus is pretty and all that, but try to control yourself, okay? He really should leave in two days..."   
  
Sirius flushed slightly as he heard Tonks's snickering. As he turned around, he saw also the bemused smile on Mrs. Weasley's face and Mad-Eye's broad grin.   
  
"You're a pervert, Moody," he spat fiercely. "You really think I'd take advantage of a man lying on his sickbed?" He stormed out of the room before the other man had time to reply.   
  
Sirius practically ran through the corridors, still being careful not to spill the drink anywhere. He was really furious. Mad-Eye rarely cared what the others would feel over his actions, true enough, but this time the man had gone too far.   
  
Moody, as well as Sirius, knew very well that Remus could not form any kind of sexual need the couple of days after the full moon he needed for recovery. No matter how much they both usually wanted it, Sirius sleeping with Remus now would have been nothing short of a rape.   
  
"Sirius," Remus greeted as he walked in to their room. "What was keeping you behind?" He gladly took the cup Sirius was offering and tasted the drink. Then he frowned. "Wand-made. Honestly, Sirius, answer me. What took you so long?"   
  
Sirius, who had ignored the first question, fidgeted nervously. "Tonks offered to make your drink, but she put a silver spoon in it, so I had to ask Mad-Eye to transfigure it from water so I could come to you as fast as possible."   
  
"So why do you smell angry, then?" Remus asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.   
  
Sirius sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. "Mad-Eye, well aware of your condition, told me not to be with you too much," he said. "He could have downright accused me of raping you."   
  
"Oh." Remus frowned again, sitting up on his bed. "Sirius, it is only his way of joking. A rude way, true, but just joking after all. I know, you know, and he knows that you'd never do that."   
  
"Right," Sirius said. He sighed. "Still it upsets me. I'd never want to deliberately hurt you in any way, least of all that particular way. I would cut my hand off rather than do anything you don't want me to do to you."   
  
"I know that." Remus gulped down some more of his drink. "Sirius... You know I'm sorry for being unable to..." he said miserably.   
  
Sirius interrupted him by placing his finger over the werewolf's lips. "Nothing to apologize for," he said softly. "You have to rest now, love. So, hush."   
  
Remus blinked sleepily, then nodded his head slowly. "Sirius?" he asked quietly.   
  
"Yes, love?" Sirius replied.   
  
"Will you - would you -" Remus took a deep, shaky breath, then tried again, "Would you just lie next to me tonight?"   
  
Sirius smiled gently. "Of course, Remus," he whispered, then slipped on the bed and lied down next to his lover, wrapping the werewolf in his arms.   
  
Within minutes, they were both asleep. 


	2. Severus

Disclaimer: Wake up. I dunn own them. I only own the plot.  
  
Summary: After the full moon, somebody's taking care of him.  
  
To be exact, Severus. Remus has to drink potions, Severus blames all on Black, and Remus didn't wake Severus. And in the end, Severus puts the mask on its place again.  
  
A/N:Yet another of my school-break ideas:  
  
There surely was always somebody who took care of Remus and comforted him after the full moons. I've been trying to fill by breaks by imagining how each one of my PossiblePartnerForRemus!Guys would do it. In this chap, it's Sirius.  
  
So, every chapter is a new Alternate Universe. Remus is not a cheating slut, nor he has first one, then another, then yet new man... These all happen, but not in the same reality. Understood?  
  
*  
  
After the Moon  
  
*  
  
Severus  
  
***  
  
"Here. Drink this." A goblet was placed on his lips. "It will help."  
  
Remus obediently drank the thick, foul-tasting liquid. The taste was nothing compared to that of the Wolfsbane Potion, but it was bad enough to make him grimace despite his exhaustion.  
  
He heard a dry chuckle. "Doesn't taste very good, does it?" the other wizard asked. "But it will help. I promise."  
  
Remus raised his eyebrows tiredly. "But why does every potion that is even the slightest bit useful taste like a rotten rat?"  
  
Severus smiled a bit. "Because most of them can also be poisonous if used wrong," he explained. "If they taste awful, you won't drink them by accident."  
  
"Like I'd ever drink a potion you haven't told me to drink."  
  
"In that you're obedient, yes," Severus said, and smiled at him again. "But not everyone is like you. You are unique."  
  
"So are you." Remus let out a happy sigh as his lover pulled the covers over his freezing body. Severus sat down on the edge of the bed, taking Remus's hand in his own.  
  
"I like you like this," Remus said softly. "When you're nice and warm. You should let your mask down more often."  
  
"And scare the Hell out of my students by being nice?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Well..." Remus chuckled, then yawned. "Maybe you're right."  
  
"Believe me, I am." Severus rested his other hand on Remus's sweaty forehead. "You don't have fever anymore," he observed. "The potion is already working."  
  
"So it is," Remus said, and yawned again. He was becoming more and more tired. "Thank you," he smiled then. "For helping me."  
  
"Of course," Severus said with a smirk. "The sooner you recover, the sooner I'll get back into your pants."  
  
If Remus hadn't been so tired, he'd slapped Severus. Because he was, however, he merely snorted. "Watch out, or you won't," he said playfully. "If you keep thinking about me as a sure case, I'll be forced to keep you out of my bed just to tach you a lesson."  
  
"Like you'd ever manage," Severus said, then leaned down to place a kiss on the werewolf's forehead. "You just can't resist me."  
  
"Care to bet?" Remus smiled. "Hey, Severus, you do realize that you're being completely out of character, right?"  
  
"Maybe." Severus petted gently his hair. "I blame it on you."  
  
"Feel free to do that," Remus replied with yet another yawn. "Like I said, I like you more like this."  
  
Remus curled on a ball beneath the covers. Then he closed his out, letting out a happy sigh as Severus scratched him behind his ears.  
  
Severus smiled. A dog or a wolf, canines were all the same. And this near the full moon Remus was halfly a canine.  
  
He couldn't tell exactly what in Remus called for his softer side. Maybe it was the helplessness in the werewolf after the full moon, or maybe it was the trust that Remus showed him despite all his nasty words before anyone other but the few Order members closest to them.  
  
Maybe it was just those amber eyes and the warm smile. He couldn't really tell.  
  
Remus was now wholly asleep. His quiet breath sounded restful enough to tell Severus that the potion he'd given his lover had been able to provide Remus with a painless rest.  
  
The Slytherin continued petting the soft hair until he was sure that Remus wouldn't wake up, then got on his feet. He walked across the room to the armchair next to the window. Once reaching it, he sat down on it, taking his book from the nearby table. He began reading, glancing at Remus every time the werewolf made a sound.  
  
He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for not being with Remus during the transformation. Remus understood his fear and wouldn't even think about blaming him for it, and he always made up for it by taking excellent care of Remus afterwards. Still, he knew very well what the others were saying about him behind his back - and sometimes, at least when Tonks was concerned, straight on his face. They said that he was unloyal and didn't love Remus like he said. It wasn't true, of course; Severus loved Remus and Remus knew it. He just couldn't overcome his fear.  
  
It seemed almost mindless when observed sensibly, like many phobias did. He knew that Remus wouldn't hurt him even as a wolf. He brewed the Wolfsbane himself, and what kind of Potions Master he'd been if he didn't trust his own brewery?  
  
He also knew that Remus wouldn't hurt him even without the potion. They were most certainly mates, and werewolves never attacked their mates. Therefore, he was just as safe with the wolf as he was with the man.  
  
Still, he was scared.  
  
He blamed it on Black. The malicious, immature prank the Animagus had pulled on their fifth year, almost getting both Severus and Remus killed, had most probably caused Severus's lycanthrophobia.  
  
Now Black had left, died because of his own careless attitude, and there was no one other to keep company to Remus during the full moon.  
  
Remus whimpered, and his eyes flew at the werewolf again. The other wizard, however, calmed down almost immediately, continuing his sleep.  
  
Severus sighed in relief. The potion seemed to be successful, even though he'd never tried mixing those various healing potions with the Sleeping Draught before. Of course he'd known that it wouldn't harm Remus in any way, with all the testing he'd done, but he hadn't known for sure if it would work until now.  
  
He felt tired. Even if he hadn't been with Moony, he'd stayed awake the whole night, preparing potions for Remus. But he couldn't fall asleep now, not when Remus needed him. Remus had always been with him as he'd been recovering from yet another Death Eater meeting, healed him, talked to him, kept him sane as the painkiller potions had hit in drugging his mind. He couldn't, and he wouldn't, leave Remus now when the werewolf needed him.  
  
But, eventually, he drifted into sleep.  
  
Severus woke up at the feeling of being watched. He opened his eyes, being met by an amber gaze. "You should have waked me," he said, getting up and crossing the room to the bed.  
  
"You looked too tired," Remus said quietly. "Didn't want to disturb you."  
  
"You wouldn't have disturbed," Severus said, searching the bedside table for the vial he'd left there earlier. "You shouldn't be awake. You'd better just sleep."  
  
"Stop babying me," Remus said with a slight chuckle. "I know what I can and cannot do, Severus. You don't have to worry about me."  
  
"Yeah, I don't have to," Severus replied. "And I won't if you drink this." He handed Remus the vial he'd just found.  
  
"I don't seem to have very much options," the werewolf smiled. "If I don't drink it voluntarily, you'll probably forcefeed it to me."  
  
"Right at once." Severus watched attentively as his lover emptied the vial. Then he took the empty vial from Remus's hands and asked, "Do you need anything?"  
  
"You seem to know that better than I," Remus teased.  
  
"What you physically require for your recovery, maybe," the Potions Master replied. "Other than that, I've no idea."  
  
"Well..." Remus looked thoughtful. Then he asked, almost shyly, "Stay with me?"  
  
"You know you don't have to ask that," Severus smiled, settling once again on the edge of the bed. He took Remus's hand in his own and squeezed it slightly.  
  
"I know," Remus said, returning the gesture. "But I asked anyway."  
  
"I noticed." He pulled the covers better over Remus's fragile body. "Sleep now, okay? I bet you're tired already."  
  
"Of course I am," Remus said, yawning. "With all the sleeping potions you've spiked the healing potions with, it's a miracle that I'm awake at all."  
  
Severus smirked, not the slightest bit embarrassed at being caught. He hadn't seriously thought that he could cheat Remus, not with the werewolf's oversensitive sense of smell. "Just sleep," he said with a low, almost purring voice. "I'll stay."  
  
"I know," Remus said, and closed his eyes. In a minute, he was asleep again.  
  
Severus sighed. With the stronger potion he'd put in the vial, Remus would sleep to the morning. He could easily leave right away, and Remus wouldn't know a thing. He could, if he hadn't promised to stay.  
  
So, he stayed.  
  
He kept his mask low, watching Remus until the morning. As the dawn lit up the room, he smirked coolly, adjusting himself to his usual self. Then he left Remus's room, slipping from Severus to Snape with the experience of decades.  
  
In the room, Remus slept on, dreaming of a gentle hand petting his hair.  
  
*  
  
You can vote for the next person you'd want to see after Harry, who'll be the next. At this moment, the votes for people other than Harry go:  
  
James - 2  
  
Lucius - 1  
  
Draco - 1 


	3. Harry

Disclaimer: JKR owns them all. I own only the plot.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: After the moon, somebody's taking care of him.  
  
To be exact, Harry. Harry is worried, Remus is in pain, Molly tries in vain to fuss, Harry gives painkillers, Poppy examines and the two get happy news. And in the end, Harry gives him a kiss.  
  
A/N: Don't ask me where this came from. ^_^ This sometimes happens when I write to my notebooks at school: Things just get out of hands and start going wherever they want. I wanted to bring out the way Harry's very concerned about Remus, and well, this just got pulled up with it.  
  
After the Moon  
  
*  
  
Harry  
  
***  
  
"Are you okay?" Harry asked concernedly, stroking slightly Remus's hand.  
  
Remus sighed. "Yes, Harry, I am," he replied. "Exhausted and hurt, yes, but nothing else. Stop treating me like a baby."  
  
"Sorry," Harry said, grinning sheepishly. "I just - I don't know. I guess I'm just not used to taking care of anyone."  
  
"It's not your fault," Remus smiled. "Think of it as a good thing instead; at least you haven't had your friends injured so you had to take care of them."  
  
"It's not a good thing if I can't take care of you." Harry stroked slightly his cheek. "No offense, love, but you don't look very good."  
  
"I know," the werewolf replied, suppressing a yawn. "I can't look very good the day after a full moon."  
  
"You should sleep anyway," Harry said gently. "You usually sleep the whole day afterwards. Why not now?" he asked, suddenly suspicious.  
  
"Not real reasons," Remus said with a faked grin. "If anything, I only feel better than usually." It was a lie, of course. But he had to lie, since he definitely wasn't going to let Harry know that he was in too much pain to sleep. The younger man was too worried even as it was.  
  
He'd have to talk with Severus. Something hadn't been right with his Wolfsbane Potion this month. He'd stayed in control, yes, but it hadn't eased the pain at all. In fact, the transformation had been even worse than usually.  
  
"Try still to sleep, okay?" Harry pleaded. "Your body needs all rest it can get." Then, suddenly, he asked, "Are you in pain?"  
  
Remus startled. After a moment of thinking he realized that there was no reason to lie to this question, since Harry'd find out anyway. "A little," he said, trying to ignore the jolts of pain flying through his whole body.  
  
Harry watched him closely for a moment, then nodded. "I'll get you some painkillers then."  
  
Remus nodded, inwardly thankful. He'd never asked painkillers from Harry. From Severus, maybe, when the Slytherin would have come to the monthly examination the next day. Harry was too worried anyway, and he knew very well Remus shouldn't have almost any pain once the actual transformation was over. But, the opportunity given, Remus wanted nothing as much as some relief to the continuous ache.  
  
Harry gave him the last concerned glance, then, after a last questioning about Remus's wellbeing, left the room. As soon as he was out of hearing, Remus sighed in relief. He truly loved Harry, as a friend and as a lover, but sometimes the young wizard's endless worrying was too much to him to cope with. He had to stay strong in the sake of his own sanity. He'd always handled his curse and its effects on him. Even during the Wars, he'd slept the next day and been up and about the next one. If he started pitying himself, he'd probably break down.  
  
He rested his head back to the pillows. His head was aching like there were Hippogriffs running around inside his brain. Every bone and muscle in his body ached also. The transformation hadn't been this bad since the first time.  
  
The ache was particularly bad in his stomach. He placed a hand on his abdomen, pressing it testily. A fresh wave of pain flew through him, and he couldn't help but groan aloud.  
  
"Remus?" asked Harry's startled voice from the doorway. He turned wearily to look at his young lover.  
  
"Harry," he said, his voice raspy even in his own ears. "Why'd you come back so soon?"  
  
"I came to ask if you wanted something to eat or drink as well." Harry crossed the room to his bed. "Remus... Are you okay? And don't lie to me this time. I have to know." The emerald eyes watched intently the brunette wizard, showing only sincerity and demanding the same in return.  
  
Remus sighed deeply and shook his head. "No, Harry, I'm not okay. I'm in too much pain to even think straight, leave alone sleep peacefully."  
  
"I'll go and get someone," Harry said, suddenly very pale. "It is unusual after all... Isn't it?"  
  
The werewolf nodded tiredly in response. Harry didn't wait for another command but hurried out of the room. Remus closed his eyes and hoped desperately that Nymphadora wouldn't be around when Harry announced his need for help. Otherwise, he wouldn't have a moment's peace.  
  
After mere minutes, Molly Weasley came to the room. "Harry went to contact Poppy," she told, smiling concernedly at him. "She'll be here in half an hour, I guess. Is there anything in the meantime I could do to help you?"  
  
"If you can do anything to ease the pain, then yes. I'd also like a glass of water, if you'd bother."  
  
"Of course," she beamed, taking an empty glass from the nightstand. She flicked her wand, filling the glass with water. She then handed it to Remus, who downed it gratefully.  
  
Molly then started fussing around him - or, at least, tried to. She checked if the blankets were properly around him, but Harry'd already done that. She wanted to prop him up with pillows, but Harry'd stuffed him into an almost sitting position. The lights were already just dim enough to his tired eyes, the temperature set to just right, and the air fresh.  
  
"Well," she said at last, "Harry's at least been taking good care of you."  
  
Remus yawned and nodded. "He wouldn't stop worrying for a single moment. He just kept asking if I was all right."  
  
"And you lied," she said calmly.  
  
"Of course," he admitted just as casually. "I now told him, and he almost panicked!"  
  
"It just shows that he cared about you," Molly reminded.  
  
"I know," Remus sighed. "It just gets so damn irritating at times." He grinned exhaustedly as she tried to scowl at him for his language, then grimaced as he felt another wave of sharp pain going through him.  
  
Just then, Harry walked in, several potion vials in his hands. "Poppy'll come as soon as she can get past the wards," he informed them, placing the vials on the nightstand. He then uncorked one of them and placed it on Remus's lips. "Drink this," he instructed his injured lover. "It will help you."  
  
Remus drank obediently. He then waited for the potion to start working, both Molly's and Harry's eyes fixed on him. After a moment, he felt a sudden, cool blow through his body, and most of the pain vanished.  
  
"Does it work?" Harry asked worriedly.  
  
Remus nodded slowly. "My stomach still hurts," he said then, placing a hand on his abdomen. "It feels like my entrails were in fire."  
  
Harry frowned, taking Remus's hand into his own. He stroked the werewolf's knuckles gently with his thumb. "I hope Poppy knows what's wrong with you," he sighed.  
  
"I'm sure he does." Remus smiled despite his exhaustion and the still continuing ache in his stomach. He brought his hand nearer, bringing Harry's hand along with it. He placed the younger wizard's hand on his lips for a second, then pressed it against his cheek. The two smiled lovingly at each other, not noticing Molly's beaming, motherly smile.  
  
At last, Poppy arrived. She immediately commanded Harry away from Remus's bedside. She started examining his patient, asking him what he felt was wrong.  
  
"Well, the transformation was rather usual," Remus said, "if not more painful. Afterwards, though, I was still all sore and aching, which is definitely not normal. My stomach as worst, and it still hurts even though Harry brought me painkillers."  
  
"Your stomach, eh?" Suddenly, the mediwitch looked amused. "I wonder if..." She drew her wand and murmured a quick incantation which neither of the wizards recognized.  
  
Molly, however, seemed to know the spell, since she gasped aloud. "You can't be serious!"  
  
"I'm always serious about my patients," Poppy answered calmly while watching intently the golden glow around Remus's stomach. "Now', let's see..." In a second, she broke into a broad smile. "Congratulations, Harry, Remus," she said. "You're going to be fathers!"  
  
The two wizards stared at her in disbelief.  
  
"You are joking... right?" Harry asked weakly.  
  
"No, I'm not," she said, shaking her head. "Remus is just a month along now."  
  
Remus looked quite stunned. Then he asked weakly, "Is - is the baby -"  
  
"Lycanthropic? No." The mediwitch smiled broadly. "That's just why you are in pain. Your temporary uterus, as well as some other parts of your body, simply refused to transform. They were keeping the fetus safe. That proves that your child isn't a werewolf - otherwise, it'd only changed form at the same time as you did."  
  
"But - how's that possible?" Harry asked, astonished.  
  
"You are a very powerful wizard, Harry," Molly reminded. "If two wizards or witches truly love each other, and one of them is very strong, the less stronger can get pregnant."  
  
"I mean... Wow." Harry walked to Remus's bed, slowly kneeling beside it. "We're going to be parents."  
  
Remus turned towards him, smiling. "So it seems," he said, a hand on his stomach. "I'm with a child. Our child." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "Unbelievable."  
  
Harry smiled gently at his lover, then leaned forward to press a gentle kiss on his lips. 


	4. Lucius

Disclaimer: You don't really think they are mine, now do you?  
  
Summary: After the full moon, somebody's taking care of him.  
  
To be exact, Lucius. Remus is cold and hurt, Lucius wants to help, Severus doesn't respond, and Death Eaters are a danger. And in the end, they're safe.  
  
A/N: Yet another of my school-break ideas:  
  
There surely was always somebody who took care of Remus and comforted him after the full moons. I've been trying to fill by breaks by imagining how each one of my PossiblePartnerForRemus!Guys would do it. In this chap, it's Severus.  
  
So, every chapter is a new Alternate Universe. Remus is not a cheating slut, nor he has first one, then another, then yet new man... These all happen, but not in the same reality.  
  
Lucius taking care of anybody is practically impossible without making him OOC... But, I'm trying my best!   
  
'  
  
After the Moon  
  
Lucius  
  
Remus whimpered quietly as he woke. He was cold and in pain - in other words, no surprises there.  
  
He forced his body up from the cold stone floor, groaning in pain as he did so. The werewolf dragged himself to sit against the cold wall, examining his wounds. The result was not encouraging. He found at least three major wounds, several deep gashes, and many smaller wounds, including a few fractured bones. Nothing that would kill him immediately, but enough that he required medical treatment, and soon.  
  
Too bad that he currently lay in the Death Eaters' cell, where no help was to be expected.  
  
Remus flinched as he remembered the previous night. It wasn't hard to recall his transformations before the invention of the Wolfsbane Potion. Even less difficult it was to know that this time had been even worse. After using the potion for over three years, the wolf had been raging frantically as it had got free at last. This was proved by the unusually bad wounds and the fuzzy feeling in his mind as the wolf was still partially retaining its grip on his mind.  
  
Remus pressed his head on his knees and wrapped his arms around his legs, trying to retain at least some warmth. The little of his clothes that had remained on him even after the Death Eaters' "fun" had been ripped off in the transformation. So, here he was, naked in the corner of a little stone cell.  
  
A slight breeze made him shiver, and he curled into an even smaller ball. He didn't know what he'd die to - his wounds, cold, thirst, or the Dark Lord's followers' torments. At this point, he didn't even care anymore; he just hoped that it would happen fast.  
  
"Remus?" asked a quiet voice.  
  
Remus's head shot up. Now, he realized that the breeze had been because somebody had opened the door to his cell.  
  
A tall, lean frame stood in the middle of the square of dim light that marked the open door. All Remus could see was that the mysterious person was dressed in black robes. Almost instinctively, he drew further away into the corner.  
  
"Don't be afraid," the person said, and this time, he recognized the voice. He watched as Lucius lowered his hood, casted a Lumos spell, and closed the door. Then he approached slowly the corner Remus was sitting at.  
  
"Remus," Lucius repeated softly, kneeling down next to him. "Are you okay?"  
  
Remus was too tired to voice his response, so he just shook his head. No, he was definitely not okay. It was cold and he was in pain, and Lucius...  
  
Oh, Merlin, Lucius...  
  
The werewolf turned his head away, unable to face the other man. His mind was maybe still fuzzy, but he did remember some of the events from the previous evening. And those memories were enough to make him flinch away as Lucius reached out to touch his shoulder.  
  
The Slytherin's expression turned grave serious as he saw Remus's reaction. "I'm sorry," he whispered apologetically. "I'm so sorry it had to happen... I couldn't prevent it, they'd killed us both."  
  
Remus nodded wearily. Of course Lucius was right, he knew that. Lucius would never have hurt him if there'd been any options. Also, Lucius had tried to make it less painful to him. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked - as it'd been the day before a full moon, any act of sex was merely raping to Remus, leave alone one brought to action by Voldemort's orders of rape.  
  
Even though he couldn't voice his thoughts aloud, Lucius seemed to understand. The blond man nodded slowly, then whispered a quick charm to keep Remus warm. Once that had been done, he conjured a soft blanket and spread it on the floor, telling Remus with a silent wave of his hand that the werewolf ought to lie down. The Gryffindor obeyed, relieved because it was at least warm now, even if he was still in pain.  
  
After Remus had relaxed and regained some kind of control over himself, Lucius began examining his wounds. The blond man muttered curses under his breath as he saw the worst wounds, making Remus flinch in shock.  
  
As Lucius noticed his reaction, he immediately caught on the situation. "I'm not angry at you for hurting yourself. Nor am I angry at the wolf, since I know the wolf can't help himself, and he's a part of you," he reassured the distressed werewolf. "No, I'm angry at Voldemort for hurting you, making you hurt yourself, and... And making me hurt you." Lucius didn't quite hang his head in shame, that was unfamiliar to the proud man. But, he did lower his head in something very similar to regret and quilt.  
  
Then, he started to act fast, but carefully. Drawing vials from the pockets of his robes, he poured several different healing potions down Remus's throat.  
  
"Severus gave these to me," he answered to Remus's quiet, questioning gaze. "And don't worry about the other Death Eaters - they're not going to come here for a while." In fact, Lucius knew very well that the upper floors of the building would soon be echoing the sounds of a full-blown battle. The only way any Death Eaters would come down there was that they'd won - and if that happened, it didn't matter whether they were down in the dungeons or somewhere else, since they'd die anyway.  
  
However, there was no way he could tell Remus that. So, he simply kept quiet until he'd have to tell him.  
  
Lucius watched as Remus, still very much hurt but better than before, curled up on the blanket and slowly fell asleep.  
  
The blond Slytherin knew that he was playing a very dangerous game. Only a few - that was, Remus, Severus, and Dumbledore - knew that he was in essence loyal to the cause of the Light Side, and spying for them. Any other Order members would in a battle kill him at sight. And, if any of the Dark Lord's supporters found out about he and Remus's relationship, they'd both be dead before the day was out. If they were lucky, that was. The only thing Lord Voldemort hated more than traitors were traitors who slept with "the wrong sort."  
  
And Remus was as wrong as it went - a halfblood, good, gay, and a werewolf. It was a true wonder that he hadn't been downright killed as soon as he'd been caught.  
  
Right now, however, they both were alive. And that was just enough for Lucius.  
  
Remus awoke to a loud crash. He snapped his eyes open, looking warily around. In the middle of the room he saw Lucius, his wand drawn and in full alert. The blond Slytherin was watching the door closely, obviously listening for any more sounds.  
  
"Lucius?" Remus whispered in a raspy voice. Immediately, a pair of silver eyes gazed at him.  
  
"You're awake," Lucius observed in a quiet voice. "Good. That means you're getting better."  
  
"What - what's happening?" the werewolf asked quietly. "Why the noise?"  
  
"There's a battle going on in the house," replied Lucius gloomily. "Order forces are attacking the Death Eaters. Severus knows that we are here, and the Dark Lord's followers won't come here. So don't worry, we're safe."  
  
"The others don't know," Remus reminded. "That you're on our side, I mean. They might... hurt you."  
  
"Then I just can't let them hurt me, right?" Lucius said, smiling reassuringly. Then he added, "Don't worry. I'll be on guard. Nothing will surprise me - and nobody will hurt either of us."  
  
Remus didn't look like he really believed Lucius's words, but he nodded. Yawning, he again settled on the blanket. He absently noticed that Lucius had dressed him into new robes, and that another blanket lay on the floor next to him, having obviously fallen there as he'd jumped to a sitting position.  
  
Then the exhaustion took over him, preventing any further observations as he fell asleep.  
  
To say that Lucius was worried was well underestimating his state of mind. During the last half an hour he'd four times tried to contact Severus. Each time, he'd only got silence in response. Therefore, there were only two options. His friend's Contact Pendant either had been broken or had fallen away... Or Severus was dead.  
  
Knowing Severus, the possibilities that he'd let his only way to contact Lucius be disabled were very slim. Therefore, Lucius now feared the worst - the worst for both Severus and himself. If the other spy was dead, there was practically no one who could stop the Order members killing him as they explored the hose - most probably they'd think that he kept Remus as a hostage.  
  
The blond wizard had done everything he could to ensure their safety. Special charms would warn him immediately if somebody approached the cell. He'd cast the Phoenix Mark on the door and in the middle of the room - it was a sign Dumbledore had invented the previous year so the Order members could identify each other. The last precaution was one that he'd never tell to Remus. If more than two people with the Dark Mark passed his wards, everyone inside them would die immediately - including Remus and himself. His reasons for this were simple. Severus was the only Death Eater but he on the Light Side. One other Death Eater could be a captive, but three would mean that they'd lost the War - and then, it was better for them to die instead of going to the Death Eaters' hands. Also, if only one or two hostile Death Eaters came, he'd have to end their lives himself - a task he didn't want to commit, but would, if he had to.  
  
He'd do anything so Remus wouldn't have to suffer any more than he'd already had to.  
  
Lucius turned a bit to look at Remus. The werewolf was now sleeping, even though he flinched in pain every now and then. All in all, he looked very weak and vulnerable - and very much hurt.  
  
Lucius winced as he remembered his own part in hurting Remus. He knew that he'd had no options, and that Remus understood and had forgiven it. Still, he couldn't remember anything else but Remus's pained cries as he forced himself to a penetration, and the cruel laughter of the Death Eaters.  
  
Severus hadn't laughed, that he remembered - the other spy had just watched him with his unnerving beetle-black eyes, showing no emotion at all. That was just like Severus - to the outside, he was cold and calculating, but inside he was swirling with emotions.  
  
Suddenly, the wards went down. Lucius shot his eyes back to the door, his wand pointing at it.  
  
The door creaked slowly open. A pale face peered in through the doorway.  
  
"Severus," Lucius sighed in relief, letting his wand lower. "When I couldn't contact you, I thought you were..." He swallowed, unable to finish his sentence.  
  
"Dead? Not quite yet. Although, I have to admit I got a couple of close calls today." Severus entered the room. "The others will be here in a minute. I was just sent here beforehand to ensure that you won't attack your rescuers." A tight-lipped smile appeared for a while on Severus's face, then faded away. "Anyway... Is Remus okay?"  
  
"About just as okay as he can be, considering the circumstances." Lucius glanced warily at Remus over his shoulder. "But, he'll be okay... Or at least I hope so." He was quiet for a moment, then added, "I don't want to lose him..."  
  
Severus observed him for a while. Then, the other Slytherin stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Who could have ever guessed?" he said quietly. "The great, noble Lucius Malfoy has fallen in love!"  
  
"Even the highest can fall," replied Lucius calmly. "When will the others arrive? I did my best, but he requires proper medical help."  
  
"They'll come soon," Severus promised. "In fact, I think -"  
  
He was interrupted as the door was again opened. Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt came in, closely followed by two white-robed mediwizards. After taking a quick glance around the room, and sending a wary gaze to Lucius's direction, the mediwizards went right to Remus.  
  
"What have you given to him?" the older of the mediwizards asked from Lucius. As the blond Slytherin listed the potions he'd administered to his lover, the man nodded and started giving quick instructions to his younger colleague. They set to work, completely oblivious to anything but their patient.  
  
The Aurors, however, were eyeing him suspiciously. Of course. The only thing that proved his innocence was Severus's, and possibly Dumbledore's, words.  
  
"Are you sure we can trust him?" Tonks asked from Severus, nodding towards Lucius.  
  
"Absolutely," Severus replied levelly. "The information Lucius has given to us has saved numerous lives - yours included. The truth that he's been taking care of Remus, risking his own life with it, only confirms that."  
  
"But what if he's only faking?" the young witch argued, not wanting to give up so soon. "What if he in fact hates us, and just tries to convince is of his loyalties? Maybe he's poisoned Remus, most people hate werewolves anyway!"  
  
Now, Lucius had got enough. "Miss Tonks," he said with a dangerously silky voice, "if my true loyalties still lay to the Dark, I'd most probably killed Severus before he could give you any fatal information, leave alone pass on that information to you myself. And, if I truly despised Remus as much as you suggest, I don't think I'd stood him in my bed for the last four years, even less let him live to tell about it."  
  
Both Aurors gaped at him, wide-eyed. Severus was suppressing a smirk despite the seriousness of the situation.  
  
"You - you are lovers?" Shacklebolt blurted out at last. The black wizard looked dumbfounded for once.  
  
"Yes," Lucius replied curtly. Then he turned to watch Remus, showing that the conversation was over.  
  
Remus slowly woke up. Not opening his eyes yet, he did a quick self-examination. The results were truly encouraging: his wounds were wrapped with soft bandages, none of his bones felt broken anymore, and he felt practically no pain at all. Even his dislocated arm seemed to be on its place again. All this could only mean one thing: They had got help. Much encouraged by this realization, he opened his eyes, very slowly.  
  
At first he had to blink because of the bright light. Then, the light became more bearable - or had somebody made it dimmer?  
  
"Good morning, love," somebody said right next to him. Remus blinked again, trying to get some sense to the blurry picture in his eyes. As the world again came to focus, he saw Lucius sitting next to his bed, watching him intently.  
  
As Lucius noticed Remus watching him, the blond man smirked. "At last, you're awake," he said. "I've been waiting for a while now."  
  
"Lu - Lucius?" Remus asked, feeling still rather tired. "Are we - are we -"  
  
"We are safe, love," Lucius told him. "Severus is safe also, and Tonks and Shacklebolt."  
  
"What about the others?" Remus demanded. "Who are dead? You can't make me believe that there were no losses!"  
  
"I'm not even trying to tell you that," Lucius said smoothly. "It's just that the list of dead hasn't been published yet. I'll make sure that you'll be the first to know once that happens."  
  
Remus thought about that for a moment. Then he said, "The War is finally over... You don't need to keep up your facade anymore."  
  
"No, I don't," Lucius agreed. "That means that I can at last divorce Narcissa and openly be with you."  
  
Remus gave him a bit sad smile. "I feel like a home-wrecking slut," he sighed.  
  
"Don't," Lucius chuckled. "There was nothing between us but a marriage contract made by our parents. I would divorce her even if it meant that I'd be left completely alone - it's not only about you, it's just as well about her. The only thing she'll miss is my fortune." The Slytherin reached out a long-fingered hand to lightly stroke his cheek. "Once they release you from the hospital, you can move to the Manor right away. If you want, that is," he added quickly.  
  
Remus broke into a warm smile. "I'd do nothing rather," he replied.  
  
"Good." Lucius leant forward and lightly kissed him on the temple. "Now, rest. I'll take care of everything." A quick smile, then, "Especially, I'll take care of you."  
  
A/N: The votes are at the moment:  
  
Voldemort - 3  
  
Draco - 3  
  
James - 2   
  
So, Voldie and Draco tie, but I'm going to pick Voldemort because that's far more challenge.   
  
But who's then? You decide! (That means, review!) 


	5. Voldemort

Disclaimer: Nahah, they're not mine.

A/N: What's this? ::grumbles:: You want Lucius, I give you Lucius. You get Lucius, you do not review! ::glowers dangerously::

::sigh:: Voldemort? You just like to make it difficult on me, right? Next thing you'll vote for Moody or Hagrid... Oops... ::covers mouth:: I didn't say that! I swear I didn't!

* * *

After the Moon

Voldemort

* * *

Remus slowly awoke to a slight ache. He ached everywhere - his muscles, his chest, even his bones seemed to be aching. But, he wasn't really _hurt_.

Thus, it was just a usual morning after a full moon night with the aid of the Wolfsbane Potion.

"You're awake," observed somebody with a calm voice. He opened his eyes to see a pair of ice-blue orbs watching him.

"Yes, I am," the werewolf admitted with a hoarse voice.

"Severus!" came a strict command, and a tall figure departed from shadows in the corner of the room. Remus watched as Severus, in a black robe but without the usual Death Eater mask, started digging vials from the bag on his hips.

"Drink this," was the next thing he heard. So, he took the offered vial and downed it. While he did so, Severus poured exact measures of various potions into a decorative goblet. At last, he dropped three drops from a tiny vial to the mixture, then examined it. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw, he handed the goblet to the werewolf, who drank its contents gratefully.

Remus tasted an odd addition to the familiar healing mixture. However, he recognized it as the taste of the usual mind-strenghtening potion he received from the Potions Master. After drinking it, his mind was much clearer. Also, his bond with Tom seemed more distant and less controlling.

Unfortunately, Tom noticed this, too. Usually, he did not notice as Remus kept himself all the time dosed with the potion, but the change in their bound could not go unnoticed.

"Thank you, Severus," Remus said hastily. "The wolf seems much more distant now." From the corner of his eye he saw Tom relax, at least as much as the Dark Lord ever relaxed, and sighed inwardly in relief. He did not want to submit to the bond, but he did not want Severus killed for giving him the potion, either. If Tom thought that the weakening of the bond was just a usual side-effect of controlling the wolf, the Potions Master was safe at least for some time to come.

"You may leave, Severus," Tom said then. "But I expect you to return here tomorrow, and I hope for your sake that I don't have to call you this time."

"I won't disappoint you, my Lord," the younger Slytherin replied, bowed, and then slid gracefully out of the room.

Tom watched as the werewolf started to drift to the land of dreams again. He was well aware of the mind-strenghtening potion Severus was giving to Remus, but he'd decided to leave it unpunished. In fact, he was kind of pleased - weak-minded people had never pleased him. Mentally strong people he liked in a way, though. That was the reason why Lucius was one of his favourite servants, while Wormtail would never become that, as well as why Severus was still alive, despite all the suspicions about his loyalty.

Oh, Remus Lupin was good-looking in his own way, that he would admit any day. That had been one of the reasons why he'd chosen the werewolf to be bonded with him. Not only because he was a Dark creature and fairly young, and thus, the bond would give Tom back his young self - he'd despised that half-dead body as much as anybody else who saw it. Another of his reasons for choosing Lupin to be bound to him - other than the fact that he was valuable to the Order, of course - was because the man was handsome. Of course he'd known that his age was what mattered, that he'd be given the body of a thirty-five-year-old through the bond, but it wouldn't do any harm for him to be good-looking, too. After all, Tom did have to keep him around to retain his handsome appearance, and he much preferred watching somebody handsome going around than some ugly git, like Wormtail. And the man was intelligent, too - he could actually have intellectual conversations with him, without the fear of his companion not understanding, like the case often was with his Death Eaters.

Had he been offered the possibility to have sex with Remus, he'd of course accepted. He was never one to turn down a good lay, and he was sure that the werewolf would be one - unlike, for example, Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman disgusted him. But he wanted that to happen because the werewolf was willing, and wanted him, not because the bond was bringing them together. Not that he hadn't had many unwilling partners during his life, but he considered Remus some kind of a challenge. His appearance had got him almost anybody he wanted when he'd been young. Now, he was back to his handsome self again, and wanted to try whether the charm still worked.

The werewolf seemed to be sleeping now. Good. He didn't have the whole day to waste for this, he had work to do. He'd ordered one of the female Death Eaters to create a couple of robes - Remus had flat-out refused to wear the black Death Eater robes, and Tom himself found them also undesirable. Now, the woman had informed him that the robes were ready, and he wanted to take a look at them.

He walked to the room and opened it. On the other side, two of his Death Eaters stood in guard. Ordering one of them to go inside, do anything Remus wanted, should he wake up, as well as send a word to Tom himself when the werewolf wholly wake, he started to walk down the corridor.

As he went on his way, he chuckled dryly to himself. Not many people dared to refuse doing anything the Dark Lord ordered them to, and definitely not somebody who was permanently staying at the Riddle House, like Remus was. Then again, Remus was not a Death Eater. He hadn't come to Tom by his own free will, no, he'd been captured and forcefully bound to the Dark Lord, with the consequence that he would die if he left for more than one day. Remus couldn't leave, and he couldn't harm Tom, but he knew that Tom couldn't harm him, either, nor could he allow the Death Eaters to do that. The werewolf spent most of his days doing research in the house's library, studying the magical artefacts Tom possessed, or just discussing with his "host."

These conversations, Tom had come to notice, were truly interesting. Remus was really intelligent, and knowledgeable in many topics, as well as eager to learn more. What surprised Tom most was the werewolf's keen interest in Dark Arts, a desire of learning which he could very well fulfill. Most probably it had something to do with werewolves being Dark creatures, and being too ashamed or frightened to research his natural powers when he was on the "Good" side. Now, there were no restrictions. Tom knew that he wouldn't be harmed, no matter what he taught to the werewolf, and had set it his goal to train Remus into the strongest wizard in his army right after himself.

He'd taken a good step towards it, he thought, as he'd right in the beginning told all Death Eaters in the house that the werewolf could command them just as well as their Master himself. He'd also told that Remus was not to be harmed in any way if they wanted to survive - he liked his good looks too much to risk them because of some too easily angered servant. If his plans went right, very soon he would tell that to all his servants. By the time he'd be finished with Remus, the man would be his greatest ally, one for even Dumbledore to fear.

The robes were rather nice, and just the way he'd wanted them to be. His was black velvet, with a shining white embroidery crawling up the front and under the left armpit, only to come to front again over the right shoulder. Remus's was very much the same, except that it was of course smaller, and the robe was dark grey and the snake silvery grey instead of black and white. Silver Snake. Yes, that would be quite fitting. He chuckled again quietly to himself at the irony of the name, then gave the woman a curt nod of approvance, shrank the robes, and stuck them to his pocket. After that was taken care of, he retreated to the library, trying to find the exact description of an interesting burning curse he'd recently found.

It was somewhere in the middle of the afternoon as he heard a careful knock on the door. "Yes?" he asked sharply, most probably scaring the guards on the other side of the door shitless with his voice only.

"I just received a word from other guards, my Lord," the Death Eater said humbly. "The werewolf's awake at last."

"Very well." Rising from his seat, Tom started to walk back towards the room Remus was in. He was already wearing his new robe - it was quite comfortable - and had the one for Remus shrunk in his pocket. His head raised high, he walked through the house, the few people whom he met shrinking out of his way, withering in fear of raising his anger. Tom allowed himself to be coolly amused about their reaction.

As he entered Remus's room, he saw that the werewolf was really awake, and seemed to be much better than before. A quick examination of the feelings that drifted through their bond confirmed his thoughts.

"So you decided to join us again at last," he said dryly. A furious glance drove the Death Eater back to his guarding place - he was different one than there'd been in the morning.

"It isn't like I had much choice," the werewolf muttered, holding his head with both hands. "My head is about to explode." The golden eyes were raised at him. "You have a new robe," Remus observed.

"That's true," Tom admitted, nodding. "I had a new set made for you, too. The one you now have is wearing rather thin." He drew the shrunk robe from his pocket and stretched it back to its original size with a flick of his wand. Then he tossed it to the bed on top of the covers.

Remus eyed the robe, looking vaguely interested. "Well, at least it's a lot better than those you force your so-called 'servants' to wear," he said dryly. "But as nice as it is, it doesn't help my headache." And he grasped his head again.

Smirking, Tom walked to the side of the bed. "Is there anything I can do to help that?" he asked smoothly.

In an instant, the golden eyes were again at him. "Anything?" repeated Remus, suddenly looking _very_ interested.

"Anything, within certain limits," elaborated the Dark Lord, quirking an eyebrow, never quite giving up his smirk.

"Kill Wormtail for me?"

Tom nodded immediately. "I think I can do that much," he said dryly. It wasn't like he was going to miss the rat. He'd been the one who'd resurrected him, true, but he was no longer either useful or interesting, but merely an annoyance. Turning towards the Death Eaters on the other side of the doorway, he said sharply, "Bring Wormtail here from the cellars!" The rat had been living as a, well, rat in the cellars ever since Remus had arrived to the house. Seemingly Peter didn't want to risk his life with the werewolf. Well, a tad too late.

One of the Death Eaters left immediately. Tom and Remus waited in relatively comfortable silence, until some time later, Wormtail was shoved into the room, the door being closed firmly after him.

At least Wormtail wasn't dumb at all times. As soon as he saw the cold eyes of his Master and the roaring fury in Remus's golden orbs, he fell to his knees, starting to beg for his life. "Please, Remus, have mercy," the rat pleaded. "Remember what Harry said? You're not a murderer!"

"What mercy did you show to Lily and James, Peter?" asked Remus, completely oblivious to the fact that the final killer of his friends was standing next to him, eyeing Wormtail with disgust equal to his own. "What mercy did you show to Harry, making him an orphan? You've more than deserved your death!"

As he saw that there was no mercy coming to him, Peter seemingly decided to try at least take the other remaining Marauder away with him. He sprang forward, his silver hand extended towards Remus.

Tom, however, would have nothing of that. "_Stupefy_!" he roared, and Wormtail dropped to the floor in dead faint. Kicking the Animagus away in disgust, Tom then turned towards Remus. "Shall I kill him now or wait until he's awake?" he asked casually. "And how should I finish him off, anyway?"

"Just do it now," the werewolf replied with an equally conversational tone. "And as for the manner of death, at the moment I'm severely tempted to just cut that darned hand off his body and see him bleed to death. But, alas, that wouldn't do."

"So true," sighed Tom in mock-sadness. "The carpet would be ruined. Those bloodstains never quite come off completely." Pointing his wand at the unmoving man, he simply stated, "_Avada Kedarva_."

There was a flash of green light, and Peter Pettigrew was dead.

"Good riddance for bad rubbish," muttered Remus quietly to himself. Then, he yawned. "My headache seems to have disappeared, and I'm tired," he mumbled to Tom. "Would you be offended if I went to sleep again?"

"Not at all. I know you need rest after the transformation." He left the room, stopping at the doorway to tell his servants to get rid of Wormtail's corpse, as well as stand on guard on Remus's door.

As he walked towards his own personal rooms, which were not far away, he chuckled for the umpteenth time during that day. The display of Remus's cold-blooded manner to handle his enemies had improved his moods a great deal.

_Silver Snake._

Yes, that would be quite fitting.

* * *

Votes at the moment:

Draco - 4  
  
_James - 4_

Lily - 1

Hermione - 1

Bill - 1

So, Draco and James tie, but because the public opinion (hehehe) seems to be more on James's side, I'll do him next. (Not _that_ way, you dirty minds!)

And, nobody's out of running. Keep voting!


	6. James

Disclaimer: I do not own any of them... Only the ridiculous theory about werewolves around the full moon.

A/N: So, this was actually relatively easy... At least compared to some, both ones I've done already and ones I'll have to do... ::shudder::

* * *

After the Moon

James

* * *

Remus lay on his bed, unmoving. His whole body was aching, and especially his head hurt. As he tried to move his arm, a sharp pain shot right through the muscles. Wincing in pain, Remus dared a look at the arm. There was a deep, barely scarred gash all the way from his wrist to the shoulder. On his other arm he saw a couple of other fresh scars, but those were all relatively small. He knew that the sheets hid several scars more, both new and old, but none of those hurt as much as the one on his left arm. Just his luck, to have his better arm badly injured.

"Psst," he heard a sudden sound. His head jerked up, and his eyes scanned the room. Although the old stories were right about werewolves having a superior sense of smell because of their Lycanthropy, these stories always missed the just as factual detail that the day just after the full moon all their senses were dulled out. Therefore, Remus could not know whether somebody else was in the room, or if he had just imagined the sound.

"Who's there?" he asked warily to the seemingly empty room, flinching as even forming the simple words hurt.

"It's me, Moony," he heard an urgent whisper from next to him. Glancing up in surprise, he saw James's broad grin and messy hair appearing from beneath the Invisibility Cloak.

"Prongs," he breathed, trying to ignore the jolt of sharp pain that again awoke in his throat at the simple act of speaking. However, even though James had missed it the first time he'd spoken, now the other boy certainly noticed it.

"Don't speak," James said, frowning slightly in concern. "Merlin, you look truly awful." Remus opened his mouth to reply, but the stern glance he got from James made him settle on a timid nod.

"Sirius and Peter got stuck in a detention," the bespectacled boy replied his unspoken question. "I should have had one, too, but the guys told McGonagall I hadn't done anything so I could get here. I don't know how I'll ever repay them."

Never in his life had Remus felt so grateful to the two of his friends that were absent. He craved nothing as much as James's simple presence at the moment, and seemingly Sirius and Peter realized that also.

"Did you get badly hurt?" asked James. "Don't say anything, just shake your head or nod. And please, do tell me the truth."

At first, Remus started to shake his head, but then thought better about it. Giving James a timid nod, he moved his left arm a little, indicating that he had hurt it. His boyfriend leant forward a little to see the freshly scarred wound, and drew a sharp breath when he saw it.

"Oh, Merlin," James breathed, his eyes widening in shock. "You rarely got that bad wounds even when we weren't there with you."

Nodding tiredly, Remus sighed deep. He knew that better than well. Ever since he was four, every full moon had made him a monster, and even though he'd torn himself apart every time, usually his superhuman healing skills soon made him able to function normally. Now, however, he knew already that he wouldn't be able to use his left arm properly for a few days.

James seemed to sense what he was thinking, since he forced himself to smile. "Don't worry, I'll copy my notes for you. I'm sure that teachers will give you extra time with your homework, too."

"Yeah..." Remus yawned. "Always so encouraging, aren't you?"

"Hey, I'm just trying my best," said James with a smirk. Then he kneeled down on the side of his bed. "Can I do anything for you?" he asked concernedly. Obviously he didn't think Remus was in condition to speak yet.

Remus hesitated, then nodded. For some reason he already felt better with James there, at least enough to speak. "Just stay," he said quietly, then added, "please?"

"Of course, love," James replied. "I'll stay. I'd do nothing rather."

"Good," Remus sighed, then yawned yet again. "God, I'm so tired..."

"Then rest," advised his boyfriend gently. James took the werewolf's hand hesitantly and, after glancing questioningly at Remus and receiving a timid nod in return, brought it briefly to his lips. It wasn't a kiss by the word, rather just a simple contact between James's lips and the faintly scarred hand.

Remus leant back to his pillow and closed his eyes. As it was only the day after the full moon, he couldn't get any pleasure or even comfort from their brief bodily contact. Rather he felt rather uncomfortable with the touch, but he wouldn't let it show. Even though he didn't like the touch, he knew that James needed it. And for James, he could easily bear the slight discomfort.

James seemed to notice his uncomfortableness after all, since he let Remus's hand back to the bed quickly, not lingering in contact. "Now, rest," commanded the other boy again gently. "I'll stay as long as I can."

Remus nodded wearily in response, then slowly relaxed as much as his aching muscles would allow him. He listened to James's quiet voice, idle chatter about school, Quidditch, and other students. Nothing too important, nothing that mattered. Only James mattered, only his soothing presence was important.

James stopped talking as he noticed that Remus had fallen asleep. '_He looks cute when he's asleep_,' James thought. Remus always looked a bit fragile and younger than his age, especially around the full moon. And yet there were hidden strength and age in him, a kind of maturity his friends couldn't even dream of achieving before they'd lived decades more - if even then.

After taking another careful look to ensure that Remus truly was well asleep, he reached out a hand to wipe a stray lock of the golden hair from the werewolf's pale face.

James knew very well about Remus's discomfort about touching near the full moon. As soon as they'd found out that Remus was a werewolf, he'd sought any knowledge about werewolves he could find. And later, when he'd started dating Remus, he'd tried to find out everything he could about werewolves' mating habits.

Of course, most of it was rubbish - werewolves certainly didn't form a lifelong bond with their first sex partner, although they _did_ have special strong mating bonds - but there was also some truth in the bottom of it. Like the fact that not a young werewolf could feel any kind of sexual need or pleasure around the full moon. They didn't feel wholly comfortable even with a simple touch, like he'd noticed several times by himself. Apparently the purpose of that was to drive their possible mate away for the full moon to keep them safe. Over time, the previously only behavioristic trait had turned into a biological fact that was installed into every werewolf the very moment they were bitten.

By time it would get easier, of course. When a werewolf reached a certain point of maturity, they could form a bond with their mate that allowed the mate to stay in human form during the transformation and not be harmed. Of course, at this point, the mate did not need the safety, and therefore the instincts eased a bit. However, as it had become biology, the fact about not having sexual need or pleasure was still existent, but they could at least bear gentle touch from their mate. And only from their mate, that was.

As Remus was still far too young to form a mating bond, James was always extremely careful whenever he touched Remus around full moons. When his boyfriend was released from the Infirmary, he never made any moves on him until Remus had come to him by himself. Just the same way he stopped sneaking into Remus's bed a week before the full moon night each month, leaving it to Remus to decide whether they had any "bedtime activities" at those nights. Remus seemed to be fine with this arrangement, so James kept up with it.

A sigh escaped his lips as he saw the jagged scar on Remus's left arm. His boyfriend had never had it easy, and never would have. Even once they left the school, Remus would always have difficulties - getting further education, getting a proper job, anything. Of course, James would have been wholly ready to support his lover financially, but he knew that Remus would never accept that.

A chuckle came out as he got a mental image of Remus as a househusband. Was that even a word? Well, at the very least Remus would skin him alive if he ever even _thought_ about calling him "housewife." And anyway, there was a wizarding institute in France that only provided education to werewolves, as well as some "safe" jobs Remus could have. However, he could never become for example a mediwizard - except one for werewolves, and there weren't many open jobs for those.

A quiet sigh from Remus interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to look at his boyfriend in an instant. The werewolf seemed to be sleeping rather peacefully, however, so he relaxed again.

Sharp steps from the rest of the Infirmary - Remus had a small private room so nobody could see his wounds - brought him soon back to awareness. Acting as fast as he could, James covered himself again with his Invisibility Cloak.

"Aww, he's asleep," said Madam Pomfrey as she stepped into the room. "Very well, he should rest anyway." Then he nodded her head to the general direction of James. "Do you really think I don't know you are here, Mister Potter? Go now, it's well about the time you do."

"Okay," said James with a sheepish grin, dropping the hood of his cloak again. "I was just giving him company."

"I know that, and I'm glad you did," the mediwitch said gently. "I've noticed that Remus is always better after your visits. However, you must not stay with him all the time. Surely you have homework to do, and friends awaiting you?"

"You're right," said the young Gryffindor. "I'll be on my way!" And with that, he jumped up and sprang to the door.

"Oh, and James?" the mediwitch called out. "I do believe you owe your friends a detention."

James chuckled and left the Infirmary, leaving his boyfriend to sleep.

* * *

Votes at the moment:

_Draco - 5_

Lily - 1

Hermione - 1

Tonks - 1

Dumbledore - 1

Bill - 3

So, Draco will be the next. After that, there's Bill, and then I'll maybe just have to pick whom I'll write...  
Keep voting!


	7. Draco

Disclaimer: I only own the idea of this, and the plot of every chapter.

A/N: So, more of taken-care-of Remus!  
And people... REVIEW! I cannot know whoever will be next if you don't!

* * *

After the Moon

Draco

* * *

The door was opened. Remus closed his eyes firmly shut to stop the sudden bright light from coming into his eyes. His oversensitive ears, however, well caught the sound of something, or someone, being tossed to the door of the dirty cell. "And don't expect daddy to save you from trouble this time," somebody said haughtily, then laughed cruelly. The door was shut again, and locked with various spells. Remus was only grateful for the darkness - the darkness that allowed him to just curl up and forget. Forget the pain, the cold, everything. Forget life, and just die.

The new occupant of the cell, however, would not have that. He moved around on the floor as if searching for something. At last, he said warily, "Who's there? _Is_ someone there?"

Remus couldn't form coherent words to reply, he was too much in pain for that. However, he did his best to make at least some identifiable sound. Having recognized the stranger by his voice, he knew that he wasn't in any danger from his side - although the fact they both lay as prisoners in Death Eaters' cell very much had proven that already.

"Remus?" Draco was instantly alarmed. Hurriedly he rose to his feet and started to move through the complete darkness towards the corner, where the werewolf lay huddled against the cold stone wall. As soon as the young wizard got near enough, he started to examine Remus's wounds as well as he could. Noticing that the werewolf was naked, he drew a sharp breath. "Those bastards didn't even give you anything to cover yourself with." It wasn't even a question, neither of them would have expected anything more from the Death Eaters.

Not even bothering nodding, Remus just shivered. The wolf had torn into pieces the little of his robes that had been left from the transformation. Now he was naked, and very cold in the chilly, damp dungeon cell. The dust stung in his wounds, and even though his lycanthropic body had already managed to heal some of the smallest wounds, he was still in a bad shape.

Just like he didn't want anybody to see him. Not anybody, and especially not Draco. He hated nothing as much as appearing weak in front of his younger lover. Of course he knew it was impossible to avoid that; there had always been and would always be times when Draco was the strong and protective one. Like now - as protective as he could be, when they were both on the Death Eaters' mercy, anyway.

Remus heard a shuffle of cloth. Then Draco gently lifted him from the ground. The werewolf forced himself to ignore the pain of Draco accidentally touching his wounds as the younger wizard pulled his own robe on him. This helped the coldness a bit, and he desperately wanted to thank Draco, but couldn't force his mouth to form the words. Instead, he just pressed his body against Draco's. While doing this, he thanked all gods he could think of that he and Draco were mated. Otherwise, he couldn't have stood the touch. And the other's touch and closeness were just what they both needed right now.

"I can't do much to your wounds without my wand," said Draco after a moment of silence. "But I should have a potion here somewhere... Just wait a minute." After that came the sound of the young man digging through his pockets. And truly, soon a small vial was raised to his lips. Remus drank the cool liquid greedily, immediately recognizing the taste of a simple healing potion.

"I always carry some with me," Draco explained quietly. "I've come to notice that it's needed far too often to go without it."

Agreeing with him, Remus nodded, even though he knew Draco couldn't see it in the complete darkness. He, too, usually carried some healing concoction with him - often several vials. Now, however, he had lost those a long time ago in his imprisoners' investigations. Even if he'd managed to keep some of the potions, the wolf most probably would have shattered the vials in his rage.

Little by little, a slightly warmer feeling started to spread into Remus's body. He snuggled up to Draco's warm embrace, trying to relax despite the still torturing pain.

Neither knew how long they'd lain there, but suddenly, the door to their cell was pushed open. Both looked up, expecting to see someone coming in to torture them, or take them away to do the same.

However, the door was closed behind the incomer softly. Then a familiar voice said, "_Lumos._"

Draco's head jerked up instantly. "Father?" he asked disbelievingly, staring at the elder Malfoy, who stood calmly in front of them. "What are you doing here?"

Lucius Malfoy, however, did not reply to his son. "Get out of here," said the blond man briefly, tossing something to Draco - two something. "Those are your wands, both of yours. I figured you wouldn't leave without your little lover." At this, he gave them a dry smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Or, should I say, your _old_ lover. My, my, Lupin, you never struck to me as a man with a knack for little boys."

"Remus's most certainly not a paedophile," snapped Draco defensively back at his father. "He's nothing like _you_. I'm a grown man, Father, I'm an adult. I am well capable of making my own choice of lovers."

"Keep telling that to yourself, and one day, you might even believe it," replied Lucius lightly. "And I can assure you, my _son_, I have never had a thing for children. Nor have I ever been attracted to males, on that note. But I should have known that _you_ would be the one to break the centuries old line of heterosexual Malfoy men. After all, what have you ever done like was expected from you?"

"Everything," replied Draco hoarsely. "I did everything like I had to, just to please you. But my deeds were not enough -- you wanted my soul. That is why I turned."

"I never wanted your soul, Draco," the older blond said calmly. "The Dark Lord did -- maybe he still does. As your father, I'm in fact happy that you decided to go against that demand. I've been far gone for a longer time than I can remember, but you're far too good to be wasted on Voldemort's insanity. And I'm now saying 'good' in more than one way." Glancing suspiciously around himself, he then said, "Get out of here, now. Somebody might come to check on you at any moment. Make yourself invisible or something, there'll be too much chaos for them to notice you once they realize I've let you go."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Draco suspiciously. "Why don't you just kill us and be done with it?"

"Might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb," said Malfoy coolly. "I have no intentions to kill my own son, no matter what you probably think about me or my morals. If I refuse to do that, the Dark Lord will torture me, and somebody else will do the job - and do it gladly. However, if I set you free, I will be tortured, killed maybe, but you'll be alive." As Draco was too shocked to reply, he continued, "Now, go. I'll stay here, in this cell -- this is the first place they'll check when the alarms go off, and I might be able to slow them down a little."

"Wait!" exclaimed Draco in desperation. "Don't stay here, Father! Come with us, and you'll be safe."

"And where would I go?" asked the older Slytherin dryly.

"I -- that is -- well -- I thought --" Draco stammered, seemingly unable to form a coherent sentence.

Lucius snorted and shook his head in mild, dry amusement. "That's just it, Draco. You have a place where to go - I don't."

"You could come to the Order," suggested the young Slytherin, sounding now really desperate. "Dumbledore is known for giving people second chances. You could come, Father. You should."

"That might suit you, or Severus," the older Malfoy said calmly, "but not me. I'm not good, Draco, not by any means. I am a Death Eater - I am evil. I've killed, Draco, killed and tortured and raped more people than I care to count. I wasn't forced to that; I've done it all on my own free will. But, I am also a father, and in my own, very odd way, I love you. And that's the only reason why I'm going to allow you to live." Then he turned around. "Once you step out of the cell, you'll have five minutes before the alarm goes off -- that's the time during which the Death Eater letting you out should be able to reach Voldemort's deepest lair, or the torture room. Try to get yourself and Lupin as far from here as possible before that." His tone was final; there was no going against it.

With a resigned sigh, Draco casted at first invisibility spells on himself and Remus, and then whispered, "_Mobilicorpus_," pointing at his badly damaged lover. Remus had fainted again, he noticed with concern. He could just hope that the werewolf didn't have concussion, although that could be very possible, taking in the fact of what had happened to him lately.

Worry and concern over Remus didn't rid him of the nagging feeling in the back of his mind as he walked to the door of the cell, however. There he turned around and glanced at his father for one last time. Lucius watched back, silver eyes at silver eyes, both holding the gaze just as steadily. Then they both turned away at exactly the same second, not wanting to lengthen these goodbyes any more.

Both the father and the son knew that this was most probably the last time they ever saw each other, dead or alive. And while they'd hardly cared about not seeing each other during their life to that point, neither could get rid of the sad feeling they got at this thought.

* * *

The next afternoon, Draco sat by Remus's bed in the Hogwarts Infirmary. Soon after they had left their cell -- about the time the alarm had gone off -- the Order forces had attacked to the Riddle Manor. They had managed to get out undamaged with only a couple of close calls, and once out of immediate danger, Draco had lifted the invisibility spells on them and started to search for help to Remus. He'd been immediately directed to Madam Pomfrey, who had threatened Dumbledore to create a Portkey to move them both to the Infirmary.

Now, Draco had got past his minor wounds very soon -- as he was Lucius's son, the other Death Eaters hadn't dared to treat him very badly. However, Remus was still in too much shape to even stay awake for a long time, and according to Madam Pomfrey, he would have to stay in the Infirmary well past the full moon.

By the dawn, they'd got joyous news: Light had won the Second War. Harry Potter had permanently killed Lord Voldemort, and there was no danger of him returning, as Dumbledore had been there to destroy his spirit as it had tried to leave the dead corpse. Unfortunately, this had drained the ancient wizard of all his power, and thus their victory was shadowed by the sorrow of the death of Albus Dumbledore, as well as seemingly innumerable other people.

Now was one of Remus's waking phases. Therefore, the werewolf noticed that Severus Snape had gone to the room. He also saw Draco's eyes immediately flickering towards his Head of House, whom he still held in much respect, maybe even more nowadays than at school.

"There's something you should know," Severus said slowly. Then he seemingly decided to go right to the point, like was his usual manner. "Draco - when we looked through the house - we found Lucius's body. He was dead, we couldn't do anything for him. None of our forces did it -- it was Lord Voldemort himself."

Draco didn't say anything. Instead, he just covered his eyes with a slightly trembling hand. Remus wanted to comfort him, to place a hand on his shoulder, to somehow show that he was there with him, but found himself too exhausted to even raise a finger.

"He didn't suffer, though," continued the Head of Slytherin softly. "Seemingly Voldemort was in too much of a hurry to torture him 'properly,' and simply casted Avada Kedarva. It was the best for him, anyway. If he hadn't been killed in the battle, he would have spent rest of his life in Azkaban, going insane."

These words, although meant to comfort, did little good to the young wizard. Silent tears ran down his cheeks as he cried for the man who hadn't been much of a father until just before his death. And when he had indeed behaved like a father, he had done it in the deepest way in existence -- by dying for his son.

Then, however, Draco laid his hand on the covers of the bed, next to Remus's. Somehow, the werewolf managed to gather enough strength despite his wounds and weakness, dragging his hand slowly towards Draco's. Once he reached it, he closed his hand around that of his young lover, squeezing it weakly.

Draco weakly returned the gesture.

* * *

Votes at the moment:

_Bill - 3_

Dumbledore - 2

Fred&George - 1

_Hermione - 3_

Lily - 1

Ron - 1

Tonks - 1

So, Bill and Hermione tie, so I'll just pick the one I get more inspiration for. After that, I'll do the other.  
Weasleys are people's favourites here, are they not? (Although I refuse to write Arthur or Molly chapters, at least in a romantical sense. I completely refuse.)  
Keep voting! (And no, the order they're in is not the one I'm going to write them in. I just put them into the list alphabetically.)


	8. Hermione

Disclaimer: None is mine.

A/N: And a happy hetty fic in the future for you... Written on an extremely boring music lesson, so beware.

* * *

After the Moon

Hermione

* * *

Remus groaned when he woke up. He _hurt_.

...Okay, so he more likely ached, but the little effort of voicing that feeling brought on the desired result, proving that he was not alone. Instantly a small, cool hand was on his forehead, and a worried voice asked whether he was okay.

"I'm fine, Hermione," he mumbled. "A bit exhausted, yes, but fine."

"Are you absolutely sure?" asked Hermione, frowning slightly. "You certainly don't look fine." Her warm brown eyes were examining the werewolf closely.

"Yes, Hermione, love, I _am_ fine," Remus replied with a slight sigh. He did enjoy her attention and company, after the full moon and otherwise, but sometimes she could be a real mother hen. She worried too much, even more so than Molly Weasley, and that was saying something. Sure, Remus had many times had a quiet chuckle to himself, watching the two witches agonizing some poor victim with their constant care, but he certainly didn't enjoy their overdone concern for him. They simply didn't know when to stop, Hermione even less than Molly.

When Remus had talked about it with the others, they'd all said that Molly was just as bad as Hermione, worse, even. The werewolf himself, however, had always thought the younger witch much worse. Maybe it was just a downside of having her for a fiancée. Most probably it was just that.

"Remie? Are you awake?" Hermione's voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Of course I am," he replied grumpily. "My eyes are open, can't you see that?"

"Well, even if you are awake, you most certainly weren't present in mind just a moment ago," replied the young witch, frowning in slight worry. "What's wrong with you, love?"

"Don't worry, Hermione," he sighed. "There's nothing more wrong with me than the fact that it was full moon last night. I was just deep in my thoughts a moment ago, that's all."

"Don't think I don't know you, Remus Lupin. You would claim to be perfectly fine even if you had a wand sticking out of your head."

Despite his tiredness, Remus actually laughed aloud. He regretted this almost instantly, however, as he was given a stern glance.

"I think it'd be better for you to sleep," said Hermione then, petting his hair affectionately. Remus had to fight hard the urge to shake her hand away. He was not a lap dog, for Merlin's sake! However, he restrained himself, knowing that the contact was important to Hermione.

She did, however, notice his uncomfortableness. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" she asked worriedly, removing her hand immediately.

"No, you aren't, Hermione," he replied with a sigh. "We're mated, for Merlin's sake. There's no way a simple touch from you might make me uncomfortable."

"We are?" asked she, sounding surprised. "But I thought --"

"That the bond would require some kind of a binding ritual to be completed?" guessed Remus, not caring that he was interrupting her rather rudely. "Well, it is not so. We are indeed mated."

"Are you sure?" asked Hermione still. "But in a book I read they said --"

Now Remus sighed even more deeply than before. He did love Hermione with all his heart, but that couldn't make him close his eyes from the fact that even she had her flaws. And annoying flaws those were. Her mother hen attitude to him was one of those -- Circe, he was twenty years her senior, and still she sometimes treated him like a child! And a very stubborn child, at that -- but even worse, if possible, was the fact that she was absolutely dependant on anything any book said about anything. Tonks and Luna Lovegood had even planned to write a book about all kinds of mythical creatures, accompanied by additions from both their very lively imaginations, and then see if Hermione would believe a word of it. Remus, personally, had no doubt that she would believe the whole book. Books were something almost sacred to her; none of them could ever be wrong.

Well, it was well about the time for her to face the reality. "Hermione," he said as calmly as he could manage, "the writers of that book are hardly werewolves. I am, however. And I can tell you from first-hand experience that no ritual is needed. All that is required is a certain state of maturity from me, and the fact that we are together.

"But the book said..." she started with a hopeless expression.

"Hermione, there are other things to the life but books, as impossible as it may see to you," Remus said with a deep sigh. "Listen, Cloud, I love you dearly and in more ways than one, but if you don't calm down a bit, I'll have somebody throw you out. As wonderful as it is to have you here with me, you are giving me a headache."

Hermione flushed slightly at his words. "I didn't mean to disturb you," she said with a very small voice. "I just wanted to help."

"Look, Cloudie, it's okay," sighed Remus, again using the name they'd given to the young witch once she'd managed to change into her Animagus form, which was a snowy owl. "I'm not mad at you, I know you're only trying to help. But I really do not need any extra noise right now." Then, with an as encouraging smile as he could manage, he added, "Now, come here and give me a hug."

And truly, she did lean over his bed, and then gave him a careful hug -- careful so as not to hurt his aching muscles. Then, however, she straightened her back and gave him a stern glance. "Now, I'll prepare you a warm drink, and then you'll _sleep_," she said with her best 'don't-you-dare-to-mess-with-me' tone Remus had learnt to obey, if he knew what was best for him.

"Fine," he sighed, knowing that he could not argue with her and win, not in this situation. So, he lay calmly on his place while Hermione went out of the room for a moment. Some time later she returned, a steaming goblet in her hands.

"Now, drink this," she ordered. Remus tried to take the goblet. To his great surprise, she in fact allowed him to do that. However, seemingly she didn't trust him to hold the goblet steadily enough all by himself, since she immediately covered his hands with hers, making sure he didn't drop it. Even though the werewolf frowned at this, he was secretly grateful. He didn't really trust his hands to be steady enough right now, either.

"What is this?" he asked suspiciously. It _looked_ like tea, and smelled of tea, too, but you never knew, not nowadays. Seeing exactly how much Hermione's mother hen attitude irritated Remus, Snape had out of pure spite taken it upon himself to grant her endless supplies of healing potions and sleeping draughts carefully modified to fit especially a werewolf metabolism.

"It's just tea," sighed Hermione. "With some painkilling herbs added in, but no sleeping draughts. I'm not going to drug you."

"This time, no," muttered Remus. "Some other time, yes." He did drink the tea, however, and then allowed Hermione to take the goblet away.

After drinking the tea he managed to fight against his exhaustion for quite some time. In the end, however, sleep won him.

Hermione watched quietly as Remus slowly closed his eyes and relaxed. Only when she was absolutely sure that he was asleep did she lean forward to wipe a stray lock of silvery white hair from his face with extreme gentleness.

She still remembered what he had looked like when she'd seen him for the first time. He'd been thin and pale, his honey hair striped with prematurely grey locks, and he'd looked like the slightest breeze might knock him over. Now he was still pale, but looked strong and even muscular in a wiry way that fit well his slender, light form. She knew from first-hand experience just how strong those arms were despite their lean look. A nasty curse he had almost died of had somehow sped up the greying of his hair, so that he now had completely white hair instead of the previous honey-greyish strands, bringing out his delicate features.

Poppy had calmed her by telling that this did not mean he would otherwise age or die any sooner. However, it always managed to remind her of just how much pain he had endured in his life, as well as make her want to stand in her lover's protection.

Those thoughts were of course irrational. Remus was a powerful wizard, and more than capable of taking care of himself, and of her at the side, if need be. Knowing this, she resorted to just care for him after every full moon, helping him recover from the pain induced by the one enemy nobody could protect him from -- his own body, his own curse.

She should be almost grateful for that curse. Grateful, since it had in a way brought them together -- the old, lonely werewolf, and the young, yet lonely witch. She hadn't realized just how strong her feelings for him were until those long, cold, lonely nights she'd spent sitting on his bed side, all the time fearing that the next time she checked if he was still breathing he indeed would not be. Only then had she realized that Remus was more than a former professor, or a trusted mentor; she'd realized that he was more than just a friend and a confidant. That she loved him, loved him not only like a friend loves another but also like a lover, and that if he should die, she would be glad to follow him.

Fortunately, he hadn't died. He'd recovered, retaining no marks of the curse other than his nowadays white hair, and Hermione had been relieved. One night, then, in the middle of one of their usual deep, long conversations, she had told him about her feelings.

At first, he had been reluctant to response in any way. After some pressuring, however -- she could be stubborn if she had her mind set on something, that she was first to admit -- he'd finally said that he indeed had feelings for her, feelings deeper than those he had for his other friends. But he'd also told her that it couldn't be, that there were too many things between them, too many years, curses, and scars, both physical and mental.

Hermione, of course, would have none of that. She'd known that what he said was true in a way -- he was twenty years, one whole war, and years of loneliness older than she, he was a werewolf and she a full human, he was covered with scars of battles and transformations, her skin pure and flawless. However, she hadn't cared about those. She'd simply said that she loved him and would not live without him, so if he didn't want her to do anything _rash_ -- she'd put an extra emphasis on that word -- he'd better at least give it a try.

So, he had given it a try, and had soon been just as eager about continuing it as Hermione herself. At first, it had been their little "secret" -- friendly conversations and light interaction in public, careful touches and gentle kisses in private. And as a secret it had remained -- until one night, Nymphadora Tonks had walked in on them kissing, and had immediately spilled the beans to anybody who would listen.

That had been a hell to explain. At last, however, their friends had managed to get over the facts that Remus was twenty years her senior, a werewolf, and her former professor, and accepted to consider things sensibly. After making sure that she knew what she was doing, Arthur Weasley, Harry, Ron, and even Kingsley had all cornered Remus and made sure that he knew that if he ever hurt her, they would kill him, their friend or not. It had been pleasant to notice that she was cared about, of course, but it'd also been horrible to see how little they trusted Remus in the end. They did indeed think that he would deliberately hurt her, or use her on his advantage! Just how thick were they?

Anyway, they'd gone on. One night, when nobody else had been in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, they'd dared to take their relationship past kisses and cuddles. Their first lovemaking had been wonderful, so gentle and loving, and so -- so _right_. After it, she'd felt better than ever in her life.

So, the War went on raging, the Order went on fighting, and Remus and Hermione went on loving. And one day, one wonderful, beautiful day, when Harry had finally defeated the Dark Lord and they were all free to live as they pleased, Remus had asked whether she would marry him.

For a moment, she'd been too stunned to say anything. Then she'd squealed an enthusiastic, "Yes!" and hugged him so tightly he'd only barely avoided choking.

Casting an admiring glance down at the ring in her left hand, she smiled gently. When the summer finally came, she would become Mrs. Lupin. The thought in itself was mind-numbing. She loved Remus so much, and soon she'd have him all to herself!

Of course, it had been a true shock to her parents. For safety reasons she'd been able to send them only a short message a few times a year, telling basically only that she was indeed alive. And then their twenty-year-old daughter had dropped in to the house, dragging along a forty-year-old man whom she called her fiancé! That'd had her mother in an absolute fit, and her father had, after at least two hours of talking, finally calmed down to settle on just the traditional "Hurt her and I'll hunt you down and kill you, a wizard or not".

It had all turned out well in the end, however. After noticing that Remus was a perfect gentleman, her mother had agreed to hear them out. They were a bit wary of the werewolf notion, of course -- being both Muggles, they could not know more than mere myths -- but after even more talking, they'd finally accepted their son-in-law-to-be.

Just then, Remus stirred a bit. She hastily leant forward to place a soothing hand on his arm, hoping to calm him down. She knew that Remus thought her a mother hen -- he'd even told her so in more than one occasion -- but she was genuinely worried about him, they all were. Even with all his War injuries had now been healed, even though he was stronger than ever before, even then, the full moons were hard on him. They would always be; there was no way he could get used to them.

No, Remus was not weak, anything else. There was hidden strength in him, strength he only let out when absolutely necessary. Strength that he masked with his quiet voice, gentle smiles, and tired eyes. Anybody looking at him and not knowing better would only see a tired, sickly man, greying before his time. They would not see one of the ten most powerful wizards in the world, even if that was just what Remus was. They would not see a strong, yet gentle man, who out of a cruel game of the fate had to face the most horrifying curse in existence every single month.

But Remus would face the moon. He would face it every month, and every month, he would win.

And as long as he had to face the moon, she was going to stand by him.

* * *

A/N: Well well well... ::whistles innocently:: No, I don't know how it turned out like that...

Votes at the moment:

_Bill - 5_

Charlie -1

Dumbledore - 4

_Fred&George - 5_

Lily - 1

Ron - 1

Tonks - 1

Again, a tie. So, I'll just pick either Bill or Fred'n'George.

Please note that if you vote for more than one, I'll pick the one you first mention, or if that's already done, the one after it. Also note that you cannot (at least not yet) vote for somebody who's already been written.


	9. Fred and George

Disclaimer: Nope, I own nothing.

A/N: Woah, I truly took my time getting this one updated... ::hides:: Don't kill me, I promise not to let it take this long in the future! Besides, if you do kill me, you'll NEVER get another update!

Woah... This chap was a lot of fun to write.

* * *

After the Moon 

Fred'n'George

* * *

Remus woke up to find someone lying next to him. Or, rather, he found two someones, one on each side of him. Noticing that before lying down his two companions had clothed him with his pyjamas, carried him to bed, and covered him with several warm blankets, Remus sighed quietly in contentment. Sinking back to the bed, he closed his eyes slowly, letting sleep claim his aching body in a healing slumber. 

When he later woke up again, he found one of his sides empty of any life. Therefore, he snuggled up to the other warm body that still remained on the other side. As he then felt a hand petting gently his hair, he opened his eyes, looking right up to the grinning, freckled face from which a pair of joyful eyes was watching him.

"Good morning, our little love," said the one of the twins who was still in the bed with him. "Welcome back to the world of living."

"Oh, shut up," Remus sighed, wincing as the simple pressure of Fred's hand -- he knew it was Fred, he could smell it -- being placed on his side made that part of his body throb rather painfully. Noticing this, the redhead immediately removed his hand.

"G's making you a healing potion," said Fred then. "We already checked you, and there's nothing out of ordinary. You should be okay by tomorrow, we'd say."

Remus nodded in understanding. The twins had quite a lot of knowledge on potions and medical magic -- they had to know how one's body functioned to twist that knowledge around to make it serve the purpose of their jokes. Therefore, they'd quickly claimed it their job to care for him in all ways around the full moon, be it by brewing the Wolfsbane Potion, checking him for injuries after the transformation, or making the numerous healing salves and potions he needed each month. Before, making his potions had been Severus's job, but Severus was not there anymore, nor would he ever be again. The Potions Master had been one of the many people who had given their lives for the cause of Light, and even though he hadn't been the most liked of men -- rather to the opposite -- his absence was certainly noted.

As for the name Fred had used for his twin, well, that was really simple. Calling themselves Gred and Forge had somehow lost the point after they'd become more or less permanently attached to Remus, who could easily smell them apart. So, they'd just shortened their names to F and G, two letters that were just as close in the alphabets as the twins were in the real world.

Nobody could disapprove of their relationship, however. Wizards thought that identical twins had been originally meant to be just one person, but that some strange power had forced them apart into two bodies before they were born. They were still of the same soul, though, and as their bodies were in essence one, any kind of a relationship between them could not be wrong. Most twin couples lived their lives only with each other despite the acceptance, however, since very few could actually settle to live with this parted "person". Remus, being a werewolf, was kind of parted himself -- at least by his soul -- and had both a human side and a wolf side, and thus, he'd never found it hard to love his twin lovers equally much and with equal passion.

Then he was broken out of his thoughts as Fred's hand suddenly ceased petting his hair. As he glanced at the younger wizard with something between mild annoyance and surprise on his face, he was given another cheerful grin.

"Sorry for not petting you any more, Puppy," Fred said, using the pet name -- rather literally 'pet' name -- they'd given to Remus, "but I really, really have to go now for a while. I'll return in a minute, though."

"Be sure to do," murmured the werewolf sleepily. Then he yawned. "I'm exhausted," he mumbled. "It doesn't hurt too badly, but all I want to do is sleep."

"Do sleep, then." Fred got up from the bed and tucked him in. Then Remus watched with half-closed eyes as the redhead slipped into his robes and left the room. After that, the werewolf fell asleep.

* * *

"Fred!" exclaimed Molly as she suddenly saw one of her twin sons Apparating to the kitchen of the Burrow. "...Or George? Which one of you is it?" She still didn't accept the fact that even she, the twins' _mother_, could not tell them apart. Of course, the fact that Remus could annoyed her a lot. 

"Well, actually you got it right on the first time," Fred replied lightly. "You're getting better, Mom."

"Hardly," she replied dryly. Then, however, she let her mother-henning instincts get the better of her. "How are you?" she demanded. "And how are George and Remus? Nothing is wrong with them, I hope?"

"Nothing but the full moon," Fred replied, giving her a slight smile. "Poor Remus had a hard time, but he'll come around. That's why I came, by the way. G's brewing the healing potion, but we've run out of the Phoenix Powder. May we borrow some?"

"Oh, of course." Molly immediately went to the cupboard where she stocked all her potion ingredients. Spotting the familiar red jar on the top shelf, she handed it to Fred. "Just keep it," she said. "We never have any use for it anyway around here as it's only used in the stronger healing potions."

Fred simply nodded in response. Over the war, Molly had brewed all the simpler potions that Severus could not afford wasting time and attention to. Nowadays, some of the ingredients meant for those potions were just lying idle in her cupboard, being no use to anybody. "Thanks, Mom," he said quietly, holding the jar securely in his hands. "To us, it will be of much use."

The witch nodded with a bit sad expression. "I know, my boy," she said, sighing. She'd taken her twin sons' lover into the family like yet another son, and it pained her greatly that Remus had to suffer through a transformation every month. "Will you take a cup of tea?" she asked then, brightening immediately.

"Thanks for offering, but no," Fred said, grinning a bit. "I promised G and Remus that I'll be back soon."

"Better not make them wait, then," Molly replied with a smile. "And don't you three forget to come to the dinner on Sunday!" she yet called after him just before he Disapparated with a faint, 'pop'.

* * *

"Hi, love. Did you get it?" George asked as soon as Fred Apparated back to the apartment. 

"Of course, G m'dear," Fred replied, placing a light kiss on his living reflection's lips. "We have it right here." He held up the jar containing the Phoenix Powder. "Mom say we won't have to return it."

"Good. It's hard to find nowadays, although I do think we should restock sometime soon." George gestured towards their own potion ingredient cupboard, which truly was half-empty.

"Looks like it, my dear. Do you think we should ask --"

The other twin laughed and shook his head before Fred had even finished his sentence, already knowing what he would say. "Never in our lives," he said, grinning. "As much as we love him, he's a disaster --"

"-- When it comes to any kind of potions. Yes, we know it better than well." Fred grinned. Like always when talking with his twin, and often even otherwise, he was using the plural form. Muggle twins sometimes did the same, identical twins especially, although then the more dominative and outgoing twin often spoke in single form, and the more submissive one used the "we". However, as they were wizards and thus equal parts of the same soul, they both talked in "we". They'd abandoned that habit while they'd been at school, knowing that it unnerved some people -- not that they hadn't tried to do that, but they preferred just finishing each other's sentences for that -- but later they'd taken onto it. Remus found it incredibly cute, which by no means was going to stop them from doing it.

"...Don't ridicule an injured man," came a whimpering voice from the bedroom. In an instant, Fred had run to Remus's side, while George continued brewing the healing potion. They did this in turns. Each month, it would be one twin's turn to tend to Remus and the other's turn to brew the potion. The following month, they'd switch. All in all, it was a mutually satisfying agreement.

"We'd never ridicule you, Puppy," Fred said reassuringly. "We were just having a bit of fun."

"On my expense," Remus said dryly. He blinked a couple of times, then yawned. "...I'm not usually this sleepy after the full moon," he commented then, sounding a bit suspicious. "Usually I at least can stay awake half an hour at time, not falling asleep the next moment after waking up."

Fred's expression darkened a bit. "That's true," he sighed. "We noticed that the transformation had caused you some internal damage -- nothing out of ordinary, though," he hastened to add as the werewolf's expression turned worried. "Just a bit more harsh than usually. So, we gave you some sleeping potion."

"And why don't I remember that?" asked Remus, still a bit doubtful about it all.

Now, the redhead managed to force himself into a smile. "With all honesty, love, when have you remembered anything coming directly after the transformation, even if you've had your Wolfsbane?"

"Not often..." Remus yawned again. "Whatever it is, I feel like I need to sleep a little," he said then.

"Sleep then, Puppy," Fred said, once again petting his hair affectionately. "We'll watch over you."

And Remus fell asleep, knowing that nothing bad could come to him when the twins were on watch.

* * *

When Remus woke up yet again, he found his both sides empty of all life. From the cheery whistling coming from the next room, however, he knew that he had not been left alone. 

"Is the potion ready?" he called out hoarsely. He hated having to ask for other people's help, even for Fred and George's, but he was really in pain now that the usual numbness had begun to fade.

"Oh, of course!" called George's voice from the workroom. In an instant, both redheads appeared to the doorway. "About the time you woke up, too," continued George. "We were starting to --"

"-- Worry about you, you know," Fred finished for his twin. "Even with the sleeping potion we gave you, you shouldn't have slept this long, so we figured that something might be wrong."

"Thankfully, nothing seems to be wrong," said George then cheerfully. "Come on, here's your potion." He held out a goblet. Remus accepted it gladly and, with Fred's arms supporting him as he sat up, drank the healing concoction to the last drop. As soon as he'd done it, he felt a wonderful warmness spreading everywhere into his body.

"You know," he said, looking at his now grinning lovers, "you two could make it to Potions Masters any day."

"Awww, don't make fun of us, love," laughed Fred. "What would be the fun in that? No, we're quite content with the shop, thank you very much."

"And besides," continued George, "what would you do with the shop, if we weren't there? You're wonderful company, Puppy, and you're good at selling, but you hardly could invent anything new."

"Don't tease me," the werewolf muttered. They were nowadays all working at the twins' joke shop, which was always closed on the day after full moon, though. Remus had noticed that he indeed enjoyed working there, in the middle of all those things that reminded him of his Marauder days, although even more he enjoyed watching his younger lovers the sleeveless T-shirts they preferred in the shop.

"Oh, no, we'd never tease you," Fred said, reaching out a hand to ruffle the man's greying hair. "How could we ever do anything that would make you feel less than perfectly comfortable?"

"There's no way we could do that, Puppy," George carried on the reassurances. "We'll swear to you by the day we were born, we'd never do anything like that!"

"You were born on the April's Fool Day," mentioned Remus dryly. "So do forgive me if I don't take that kind of a vow very seriously." He was, however, smiling.

"'S okay, we forgive you," George said lightly, brushing his cheek lightly with his fingertips. "It's not like you could help being the only one who knows us through and through."

"Hey, he's mine," said Fred then, placing a possessive hand on Remus's shoulder and sending a mock-glare to the direction of his other lover and twin. "Keep your filthy hands off him!"

"No, he's mine," George argued, placing his hand in a similar gesture on the werewolf's other shoulder. "You are mine, aren't you, Remus m'dear?" he then asked playfully from the man himself.

"I'm both of yours, and you know that," Remus said, yawning a bit. "So shut up, you two. I want to sleep."

"If our dear werewolf wants to sleep," started Fred, and George finished, "then sleep he will." And with that, they simultaneously both grasped a corner of the blanket and tucked him in.

"Sleep well, Puppy," said George cheerfully, leaning forward to place a tiny kiss on his forehead.

"We'll sleep with you," continued Fred, laying himself on the bed next to the werewolf. Instead of lying there in his human form, however, he started to change. Soon enough, a flaming red fox lay next to him, its head lying on his chest in both a possessive and protective gesture. After a moment, an exactly similar fox lay on his other side, its head tugged into the crook of his neck.

Oh, the twins loved him indeed very much, enough to go through with the trouble of learning the Animagus transformation just for him. Cunning and exactly identical red foxes, they had surprised nobody when they'd first presented their alternative forms to their friends and family.

However, they still did surprise Remus with their seemingly endless caring and love.

Within minutes, all three occupants of the bed were sound asleep, safe and secure with each other.

* * *

A/N: Sweetie... I liked writing that... Maybe I should write more about Fred'n'George? 

Votes at the moment:

_Bill - 7_

_Dumbledore - 7_

Ron - 2

Lily - 2

Charlie - 2

Tonks - 2

Ginny - 2

Moody - 1

So, I'll just have to pick between Bill and Dumbledore... ::giggles:: Teeheehee...


	10. Bill

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Many people seemed to be concerned about the thought that I might make Dumbledore Remus's lover. Don't worry, the mere thought revolts me just as much as the majority of you. The Remus/Dumbledore chapter will be perfectly platonic. (Of course, side pairings are another issue altogether...)

:Shakes head: This chapter came out really weird. But I like it. Kind of.

...Big happy Weasley Family!

* * *

After the Moon 

Bill

* * *

"Do you need anything?" asked a concerned voice. "Something to drink or eat? Could I get you another blanket, perhaps?" The bed shifted as another man's weight settled on the other side of the bed. 

Remus forced his eyes open. "Stop that, will you?" he pleaded. "That motherhenning isn't at all like you, love. It's beginning to feel like it was your mother there instead of you. And that's _not_ a feeling I'd like to have about my lover." True, the werewolf might be exhausted and weary after the full moon, but he was never too tired to try to lift up the spirits. Or to talk to his lover.

The said lover chuckled and leant down to place a light kiss on the werewolf's slightly fevered forehead. "Sorry," he said. "I'd never want to put disturbing images into your pretty little head. It's just that Mom is indeed here. She wanted to know if we were going to come to the family gathering this evening. I of course said that we wouldn't come, as you're in no condition for such a visit. However, Mom can't be put off that easily. Now she's sitting in the living room and claiming that if I'm not constantly doing something for you, either you aren't in a very bad condition or I'm not caring for you properly. Annoying, she is."

"That she truly is," mumbled Remus. Molly Weasley was the finest of women, true, but at times she did get really annoying. If you were well, you attended to her family dinners, no excuses would do. If you were not well, only she could care for you properly. "When is she going to realize that the only things I need after full moons are you and some proper sleep?"

Bill gave him a dry smile. "Probably as soon as you stop actually needing the healing potions my not-so-dear brother-in-law thankfully keeps brewing for you every month."

Remus gave him a sheepish grin. Yes, he did need the potions that Severus brewed for him as an act of peace towards their now shared family, needing all support he could get from the redheaded army.

It was weird, really. Nobody had expected Percy to be the first child of his family who got married. Even less had anybody expected that the first person ever to call Molly and Arthur their parents-in-law would be Severus Snape - or, rather, Severus Weasley. "One more Weasley surely can't hurt anyone," they had said, and then shocked the Wizarding World in its entirety. The black sheep of the Weasley family had caught the most antisocial and definitely most antimarriage person ever walked on the face of the Earth. Or the other way around, whatever, nobody knew, really.

Some even said that Severus was simply using Percy on his advantage and had married him only to make it look less suspicious. Remus, however, knew better. He and Severus had reached some kind of a truce, although they would probably never be friends. They were merely civil for the sake of their lovers - Percy had always been closer to Bill than to any other one of the Weasley brothers, despite their very different characters. Anyway, Remus knew that Severus took any kind of commitment very seriously. If he cared enough to marry Percy and even take the Weasley name, he was really in love.

Besides, if Severus hadn't truly cared for his husband, no might on the Earth could have convinced him to adopt a child. And yet there was a little whirlwind called Marigold Weasley running around, her golden hair always a mess and her brown eyes sparkling. It was a miracle in itself that a single child could cause more trouble than Fred and George combined, but the fact that such a child would grow under the care of the two strictest men anybody knew was a cause of eternal astonishment to everybody. Both former Death Eater spies, however, loved their daughter more than anything, and would let her do anything - as long as she didn't harm anybody or anything else. Marigold was polite, true, but wild as the wind - and cute.

Remus himself wasn't that fond on the thought of marriage. True, it was a nice thing, and a proposal was one of the most wonderful gestures you could do for your beloved. However, he saw no point in getting married just for the sake of it. If they were in love and stayed together even otherwise, what was the point? And thus, he and Bill had stayed unmarried despite all the hints and suggestions towards the opposite.

Anyway, the conversation hadn't ended yet. "Then we will go there," Remus said, and yawned. As Bill gave him a suspicious gaze, he added irritably, "Just let me sleep now, and I'll be fine by the evening. We can leave early so that I can get back to sleep, and everybody will be happy."

Bill nodded, and then left the room. When he informed his mother that they would indeed come to the family gathering - a Sunday tradition of the Weasley family and all its extensions - the witch broke into a broad smile. She had known the result of this fight fat beforehand, but that didn't stop her being happy.

As soon as she had left after reminding him for the last time to arrive early, Bill went back to the bedroom to check up on Remus. Like he had suspected, the werewolf was already fast asleep again, really exhausted. With a weary smile, Bill again settled onto the edge of the bed, watching his lover in silence.

It wasn't easy, their relationship. True, it could have been harder - after Percy and Severus had come out to their friends and family, the extended Weasley clan had been prepared for pretty much anything. Their age difference wasn't quite as big as with the other pair, either. However, there had still been prejudices, especially from outside their family. The most hurtful comments had been those of the people who claimed that Bill, a full human, should have had nothing to do with a "filthy werewolf," such as Remus. Many a longtime friendship had been ended from his side after the so-called "friend" had insulted his lover. It was shocking how otherwise perfectly rational and tolerant people could abandon somebody for such a trivial reason. None of his friends had ever been trouble with him being bisexual. Why would they mind the fact that Remus was a wolf once a month? He was a lot tamer than some girls with _their_ monthly problem!

Anyway, he shouldn't be worrying about that now. Those people he had deliberately lost touch with, telling them not to contact him again until they were sensible again. What mattered right now were his remaining friends, and, more than anything, Remus. His beautiful, brave Remus, who was ready to fight down his exhaustion and pain just to make Bill's mother happy. It was unbelievable, really.

It was a miracle that he had managed to get such a perfect lover. Their lives had been so different that nobody could have expected them to end up together. Remus had been an only child, grown up with his parents as his only company, as he, a werewolf, couldn't even befriend other, "normal" children. Ever since he'd been three and he had been bitten, he'd had to struggle to get himself a place in life. Too proud to accept a single knut from his wealthy family, he had walked in worn-out, patched robes for most of his adult life, until he'd just recently got a steady job. Pale and sickly, he nowadays was even weaker than before, the War wounds taking a great toll on him, but he never, ever complained.

Bill himself was the eldest of a large family. He'd always been around people, always sought new contacts and friends. The only trouble he'd ever had to face in life had been the undeniable poverty of his family, but he had come over that and got a respectable and well-paying job when he'd still been very young. He was strong and muscular, and he never fell ill, but whenever something went wrong, he was immediately whining. They were the exact opposites, he and his lover, the two sides of the same coin - and that was just the reason why they completed each other so perfectly.

It was a miracle that Remus even stood him. And it was also the only thing Bill would never complain about.

* * *

"Oh, welcome, you two!" exclaimed Ginny enthusiastically as Bill and Remus fell out of the fireplace. "Mom's been frantic about the possibility that you might not come after all, and she's driving us all crazy." 

"I always knew there was a reason for you to love me, little one," Bill muttered, annoying his twenty-two-year-old sister greatly. "Come on, Remus. Let's go make my dear mother un-frantic."

Remus followed him, although not without giving Ginny a tired smile in greeting. She smiled back, then disappeared to wherever it was she ever disappeared to. Meanwhile, Remus and Bill headed towards the living room. It was a tradition that both before and after the Sunday dinner, everybody would sit - well, the children would crawl and walk and run and whatever - in the living room, chatting and laughing and being social in general. Needless to say, this was the part of these family gatherings Severus hated most.

Anyway, almost everybody else seemed to be present already; only Harry and his dear fiancé Draco Malfoy were missing. It was funny, really, Bill thought, how all the Light spies seemed to belong to their family. After Severus, Percy had joined the Death Eaters, his sole purpose to gather information, and later, Draco had joined as well. Now Severus was with Percy, and Draco was with Harry, and thus all the spies were always present in the extended Weasley clan's family gatherings.

All those who were already present looked up upon their arrival. Severus and Percy were in one corner of the room, Marigold running freely around the room and making noise to her heart's content - which was a lot. Charlie and his wife Sarah, with their children Colin and Caroline, were seated on a large couch, along with Fred, Hermione, and their little Dean and Luna, both of whom honoured with their names their parents' deceased friends. Then George, his husband Seamus Finnegan-Weasley, and their Gary, Malva, and Minerva. Last were Ron and Padma, and their Teri, Terry, and Timothy. Oddly enough, the only unmarried and childless one - well, besides Bill himself, of course - was Ginny. As all eleven children were under the age of five, and Marigold was the only one over four, the noise was rather noticeable.

As always, Marigold was the first to react. "Hi, Unca Bill!" she exclaimed, and ran to hug Bill's legs. "Hi, Unca Wemuz!" Of course she could already talk very well. However, whenever she wanted some extra attention, she used her "baby talk," which everyone thought to be adorable - his fathers, too, thought that.

"Well, hello to you, too, little one," Bill replied happily at the eldest of his nieces. "Where's Harry?"

"He won't come," Ron informed him. "They had some urgent business to attend to."

"I see. Where's Mom, anyway? I'd like to show her that, despite she having doubts, we did indeed come!"

"I'm right here, William Arthur Weasley, and I heard what you said!" called out his mother's well recognizable voice from the next room. "Show some respect to your elders, will you?"

"Absolutely, Mom." Bill smiled as his mother and father walked to the living room. "So, when's dinner?"

"Behave yourself," scolded Remus him. "It's not like we only came here to eat!"

"Well, I at least came here only to eat," Ron said, earning a sharp glance from Padma but not caring. "So, when will we get to sink our teeth to your delicious cooking, Mom?"

"Soon enough," replied Molly calmly. "As soon as Ginny helps me set the table."

"Why do I always have to set the table?" complained Ginny, who had walked into the living room just in time to hear of her task. "Is it because I'm the youngest? It's not fair!"

"It has nothing to do with your age, dear," Molly said perfectly calmly. "It's just that everybody else has children. It wouldn't be fair to leave their spouses to deal with the little ones alone, now would it?"

"Bill doesn't have children!" the other redhaired witch replied. "Why can't he set the table even once?"

"But he does have a lover," replied her mother, never giving up her admirable calmness. "Get married, or get a baby - preferably both, and preferably in that order - and Bill will have to set the table."

"So a spouse amounts to more than a lover?" asked Bill, raising his eyebrows. "That's rather old-fashioned, Mom - not to mention a really miserable attempt at tricking me into marrying Remus at last."

"Well, I'm an old-fashioned woman," replied Molly happily. "And I'm not trying to trick you to anything. Instead, I'm quite hoping you would pay attention to your mother's wishes as she lies on her deathbed, her last wish being to get to see her children all happily settled down."

"Like you ever would stay on your place long enough to die," Percy cut in dryly. "Give them a rest, Mother. If they don't want to get married, don't force them. Neither of them believes in getting married for the sake of the marriage itself, so do stop pestering them about it."

Bill gave his favourite brother a grateful glance. Percy had got it all out quite well.

Remus gave a tired chuckle at this. "I would help you if I could, Ginny," he said then sincerely. "However, I'm afraid that the silverware wouldn't agree very well with me."

"Oh, and on that note," Molly hastened to say, "you do remember to set different cutlery for Remus, don't you, Ginny?" She gave her daughter a warning glance.

"Of course, Mom," Ginny sighed. Well, at least she should have remembered it pretty well by then. After all, she had heard the same warning every Sunday for Merlin knew how long.

"Very well." Molly smiled and clapped her hands. "Now, let's get to work!"

Soon enough Molly and Ginny had the table set and the dinner ready. The extended Weasley clan - twenty-six people, and only one, Remus, did not have the name of Weasley - sat on their respective places, that was, randomly around the table. Well, Remus did have his own particular seat, but that was only because he couldn't use the silverware the others had.

"Are you sure you're all right, Remus?" asked Hermione at one point in the middle of the happy conversation and the children's laughter, frowning slightly at the werewolf. "You look really pale."

"She's right, you're very pale," noted Bill. "I told you it's too early for you to get up and about again!"

"Oh, don't worry, Bill," Remus chirped cheerily - as if. "I'm perfectly fine, really. I'm just a bit tired."

Just then, Teri looked up from her plate. "Unca Wemuz faint," she said with all the confidence of a three-and-a-half-year-old. And truly, just when she'd voiced this little prediction, the werewolf fell over in his chair and then just lay on the floor, unmoving, his face white like a sheet of paper.

"Remus!" exclaimed Bill, kneeling instantly down next to his lover. To his great relief, he did indeed find a pulse. It seemed that Remus had been just too exhausted. However, this discovery did not lessen the fury in Bill's eyes as he looked up at his mother. "This is your fault," he hissed. "I told you that Remus was too tired to come, but you still insisted. He only agreed to make you happy. And now look what happened!"

"This hardly is your mother's fault, Bill," Sarah hastened to say, eyeing carefully her mother-in-law, who looked very shocked at both Remus fainting and Bill's outburst. "Just get him somewhere to rest, okay?"

Immediately Bill came back to his senses. "Oh, yes. Of course." Easily lifting Remus onto his arms like his lover had been just a little child - a result of the combination of his considerable strength and Remus's frightening thinness , he walked towards the fireplace. "I'll take him home," he said. "Don't expect me back." And with that, a whisk of Floo powder, and a shout of, "Lupin-Weasley house!" he was away.

Once back home, Bill immediately took Remus's unconscious form to their bed. Sighing, he removed his boots as well as the werewolf's outer clothes, folded the clothes neatly on a nearby chair - he was rather messy, like a true Weasley other than Percy, but Remus was all for tidiness.

"I knew it would be too much for you," he muttered as he removed the rest of his own outer clothes, then lay down next to his lover and pulled the bed covers over them both. "I knew it, and yet I let you do it. Thus, I was wrong - it was not Mom's fault, it was mine. My fault alone."

'_No, it wasn't,_' said a tiny voice inside him. '_It was nobody's fault, really - just your most loved ones being themselves. And that's the very reason why you love them._'

Bill could really do very little but agree. However, when he pulled Remus against his chest, wrapping his arms around the werewolf, he felt the ribs under the almost nonexistent layer of skin and flesh. That startled him, and he cursed in his mind - not his Mom, not himself, but Remus's Lycanthropy.

It was what was slowly killing his lover. Every transformation, every accidental silver burn, everything. All those things were taking their toll on him, sucking him a bit drier of his strength and might every time. And, even though it was the very hardest for Bill to admit, he knew that sooner or later, he'd lose his lover to the curse. Either the Cure would be invented, or he would lose Remus entirely.

Bill was a good cursebreaker - one of the best, even, they said. However, he was not perfect - he could do nothing to the Lycanthropy, nothing but watch his lover's slow wasting away. This was the one curse he couldn't fight or win. But he'd be damned if he didn't at least try his best.

* * *

A/N: The current situation is as of following:

_Dumbledore - 10  
_

Ron - 6

Charlie - 4

Lily - 2

Tonks - 2

Ginny - 2

Moody - 1

So, at the moment, Dumbledore will be next - PLATONIC! Do not blame me if you get dirty images, their relationship will be perfectly platonic- and then, unless the direction of the votes changes entirely, Ron, and after him, Charlie. :shakes head: You just love the Weasley brothers, don't you?


	11. Dumbledore

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: I know that this series has been mostly Remus-centric for obvious reasons. This chapter, however, was originally written to show how I would descripe Snape and Dumbledore's relationship. It was written before I started reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

...After reading HBP, I didn't change a word. I haven't changed my opinion, either. Anybody else telling me something funny about it can simply bugger off. I refuse to believe anything else!

* * *

After the Moon 

Dumbledore

* * *

People avoided Albus Dumbledore's eyes as he strode through the corridors of Hogwarts. There was none of the usual bumbling fool left in him that day; instead, he was about as soft as steel. Whoever laid their eyes at him knew instantly just why even the Dark Lord had feared him. This man was not somebody you wanted to mess with, not if you had any choice. Even death would have probably been a preferable fate. 

He was not out for anger right now, however. Instead, his brows were now furrowed in worry, his icy blue eyes down-directed as he hurried further towards his destination.

The Final Battle had come and gone, and the Light Side was victorious. There weren't any celebrations, however. Nobody could gather the strength to celebrate when they were still burying the remains of their loved ones. The Infirmary was full of patients, as only the most severe cases could be sent to St. Mungo's, which was just as full of war victims. Everybody who could walk on their own had been sent away as the resources simply weren't enough to care for them.

Despite the fact that there were a lot more people in the castle than usually, it was awfully quiet. Nobody dared to laugh or shout; everybody was still mourning. So many had been lost forever, so many would never return from the battlefield. Children, parents, siblings, friends, lovers, spouses... Everyone had somebody to mourn. The most unlucky ones didn't have a single loved one alive.

Albus Dumbledore was also mourning. Well, he would have been, had he not had other things to worry about. The matter on top of his mind was his promise to a dying friend, a promise he was desperately trying to fulfill. With a deep sigh, he once again recalled the last moments of the day of the Final Battle.

_

* * *

Dumbledore hastily ran through the battlefield, looking at the scattered bodies, turning around the most familiar-looking ones. He recognized most of them, and every face he recognized hurt. His children, they were all _his_ children, regardless of whether they'd fallen in the robes of an Auror, an Order member, or -- the most painful ones -- a Death Eater, or a Hogwarts student. However, they were not what he was looking for at the moment. Therefore, he continued his search._

_At last he found what he had desperately prayed both to find and not to find. This man was still alive, thankfully, but it was obvious from his deathly pale skin -- even paler than usually -- and the deep gash on his side that wouldn't be the case for long. Kneeling down next to the younger man, he reached out a trembling hand to wipe a lock of bloody hair from the pale face._

_"...Severus?" he whispered, looking down at the man who was dearer to him than any of the other people around them. "At last I found you, Severus..."_

_"Albus," said the Potions Master quietly, glancing up at him with a weak, tired smile. "So you did outlive me after all. I always expected you to do that anyway, you know."_

_"You're not dead yet," the Headmaster said firmly, trying to believe that with all the desperation his heart could gather. "And you won't die, either. There's still hope left for you."_

_"Don't make me laugh," the other man said dryly. "I've failed him, Albus," Severus said then, doubling over as a coughing fit hit him. When he removed his fist from his mouth, the pale skin was covered with tiny droplets of blood. "I promised to keep him safe, and now I've failed him. They took him, Albus... they took him from me. Away from me."_

_"You have not failed him, Severus, my boy," Albus said quietly. "You did everything you could. Nobody could have asked any more from you."_

_"But it still wasn't enough," the pale Slytherin argued. Then he raised his pained eyes to the Headmaster. "Promise me, Albus," he said weakly. "Promise me that if you find him -- no, _when_ you find him -- you will take care of him for me. Promise me._

_Albus grasped his hand tightly. "I promise," was all he said._

_Now, Severus gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, Albus," he whispered, then added, "for everything." Very quietly, he still murmured, "Remus..." And then, he sighed deep, and with that sigh, his spirit left his body, for no other breath ever passed those pale, thin lips again._

_Albus held his pale, delicate hand in the middle of the now silent battlefield until he felt no more warmth from the body. Then he sighed as well, looked up at the stars that had just begun to light up the sky, and vowed that he would fulfill his promise, no matter what._

* * *

It had been a week now, and there was still no sign of Remus. What worried the Headmaster most was the fact that it was the night of full moon. Unless the Death Eaters who'd taken him were fools -- what they couldn't be, as they'd managed to defeat Severus -- they had surely gotten rid of the werewolf before that. Therefore, their chances of finding Remus alive were very slim. 

Sighing, Albus shook his head. It seemed that he, too, had failed his promise to keep Remus safe. Like Severus, he also blamed himself, despite having done everything in his power.

Yes, Severus had indeed sworn to keep Remus safe, with his own life, if need be. The reason for this was pretty clear. In a battle the year before Severus had been just about to be in the receiving end of a fatal blow. However, Remus had stepped in front of him just in time to save him. Being a werewolf, Remus had managed to survive the Killing Curse, but he had lost his sight. Feeling obligated, Severus had taken it upon himself to take care of the werewolf. With his exceptional hearing and sense of smell, Remus could go about his everyday life, but in a battle, he was of little help, and very much in danger. That was why Severus had tried to get him into safety during the battle -- and, obviously, failed.

And now Albus was failing his own promise.

* * *

"Albus! Albus, come quick!" called out a frantic voice. As the Headmaster turned around, wondering who else beside himself would be up this late -- it was well past sunset already -- he saw Nymphadora Tonks. Also, like he couldn't help noticing, the Metamorphmagus looked... delighted. 

"What is it, Nymphadora?" he asked quietly. "Dare I hope for good news for once?"

"Indeed!" exclaimed the young witch. "You absolutely have to come to see this! But keep your wand at ready," she then warned. "We can't risk startling him, not tonight."

Now, the ancient wizard was visibly startled. "Do you mean that -- that you've found Remus?" he asked.

"Oh, no, Albus," she said with a tiny smile. "I mean that Remus has found us."

Unable to contain himself any longer, the Headmaster immediately hurried after her. He was led through the corridors and outside the school. As Nymphadora then started to lead him across the school grounds to a very particular direction, he realized where they were going, and picked up the pace until he was hurrying on her side. The battlefield, halfway to Hogsmeade from the castle, was a place he could have found even in his sleep, so strongly it had been branded into his mind.

Despite his age Albus had managed to get past her by the time they reached the battlefield. There he was met with a sight he'd already thought he would never see again. A large, golden wolf lay there some way afar, his head pillowed on his front paws. Every now and then the enormous animal raised its head to howl, the eerie, mournful sound echoing far away.

"I was out taking a walk," Nymphadora explained, "and yes, I did have my wand ready all the time. I'm not stupid enough to walk outside unarmed after the sunset at a full moon night. So, anyway, I heard the howling, and came to investigate. The moment I saw the wolf, I recognized him. I just knew that it was Moony! He must have escaped and --" Suddenly, she fell silent. "Albus? Is something wrong?"

"The spot he's lying at," the old wizard said, choking back tears. "It's exactly the same place where I found Severus... just before he..." The Headmaster swallowed, unable to talk any further.

"Oh." For once, the Metamorphmagus turned serious. She was one of the few who still could smile so soon after the war, always seeing the light side of things. However, she, too, knew of Albus's strong love for Severus, as well as of Remus's love for the man. "He must have followed his instincts, then... Snape used to always accompany him during the full moon nights, although I think he was terrified of the wolf. Moony must have missed him and come here to find him."

"Most probably." Now, Albus swallowed again, then adopted a determined expression. His wand at ready, he stepped forward. "Okay, Nymphadora. Now we must retrieve the werewolf."

* * *

It was almost noon the next day, and Albus was sitting in the Infirmary, looking at the immobile form in front of him. It hadn't been too hard to capture Remus; the blind, badly injured werewolf had been easily bound with just a couple of spells. After putting him into sleep Albus and Nymphadora had levitated him to the castle and the dungeons. At sunrise, they had taken the damaged man and brought him to the Infirmary. 

Despite all the war victims there, Poppy had immediately found Remus a bed, starting to fuss over him immediately. Although he wasn't in danger of death, the greying brunet had obviously been tortured rather viciously, and that combined with the strain of transformation was quite enough to keep him in bed.

Now, however, Poppy had healed the smallest wounds and started treating the worst ones. It was only a matter of time when Remus would wake up. He would be in slight pain, yes -- not even Poppy's strongest potions could undo all the damage -- but he would be conscious and somehow coherent. Therefore, Albus had decided to sit on his bedside to make sure that there would be at least one familiar face around when Remus finally came to. It wouldn't do to have him wake up in the middle of strangers just after the full moon; that would agitate the wolf, as it was still strong inside him

Now, Remus stirred, then opened his eyes, the milky pools unfocused. "Albus?" he asked quietly after sniffing the air a couple of times. "Albus... where is Severus? Why isn't he here with me? He always stays with me for the day after a full moon!" As he obviously smelled Albus's sorrow and the tears that were about to fall from the blue eyes, his eyes widened in horror. "No..." he whispered. "No, it can't be true!"

"I'm so sorry, Remus," the Headmaster said, his voice thick with tears he wouldn't let fall. "I'm so very sorry. He gave his life in the Final Battle. I don't know if this is any comfort to you, but your name was the last word he ever said." Now, he swallowed at the memory of the man who'd been the nearest to a son he'd ever had. "Severus loved you very much, Remus. You must never forget that."

"How _could_ I ever forget that?" asked the werewolf with a bitter chuckle. "He gave his life to protect me, Albus, I know he did... And I never asked him to do that. All I wanted was for him to be safe..."

And, as tears started to fall from the unseeing eyes, Albus could finally allow himself to cry, too. This far he had tried to stay strong and not break down. Now, however, the dams were finally broken, and he cried, cried for all the dead friends and colleagues, all his children that had been lost in this meaningless war. And above everything else he cried for Severus, for the only one he had ever called a son.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so the votes are now... 

_Charlie - 9_

Ron - 8

Tonks - 4

Ginny - 4

Lily - 2

Moody - 1

Percy - 1

Neville - 1

So, everybody still seems to be preferring the Weasleys over any others... Very well. Charlie it shall be next. (Do not waste your time by voting Charlie anymore, he's now off the list...)


End file.
